Phoenix
by ponyiowa
Summary: Her mother died giving birth to her and her littermates, and so Amberpaw's father treats them like they don't even exist. The most logical way then, she decides, is to live a life without having a mate. But one tom is starting to get in the way of her vow, and then, of course, she has to fall off a cliff, and into the paws of an evil group of cats.
1. Introduction

Hello, hello! :D If it's your first time reading one of my (two) fanfics, then greetings! If you're already a reader of _Everything but Nothing_, welcome back! :D I got an idea for this fanfic, and I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I finally decided to type it out. Now don't worry; I will still continue _Everything but Nothing_ (in fact, I've only gotten to the halfway point, I think), but I will alternate updating for that and this new one.

The title,_ Phoenix_, sounds weird, but trust me, it has a lot to do with this fanfic. ;) Thanks to Bubbletail for letting me use some of her cats! :) Now for the Allegiances and Chapter 1! :D

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><p><strong> <span>Allegiances<span>**

** LeafClan**

Leader:  Branchstar-light brown tabby tom

Deputy:  Falconflight-dark gray tabby tom

Medicine cat:  Whispersong-gray she-cat _(apprentice, Swallowpaw)_

Warriors:

Pounceclaw-white-and-brown splotched tom

Ravenwing-black she-cat

Oakpelt-dark brown tabby tom with one white paw

Ivyfur-light brown she-cat _(apprentice, Thunderpaw)_

Ashfeather-gray tabby she-cat

Cedarheart-brown tabby tom with blue eyes _(apprentice, Redpaw)_

Breezetail-black tom

Twigclaw-thin brown tom

Rainfall- a pretty pale gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Birchstep-light gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentices:

Swallowpaw-brown she-cat with one white paw _(mentor, Whispersong)_

Redpaw-orangish-russet she-cat _(mentor, Cedarheart) _

Thunderpaw-black tom _(mentor, Ivyrain)_

Queens:

Doveflight-white she-cat (mother of Breezetail's kits, Cloudkit, a white she-kit with blue eyes, and Graykit, a light gray tom)

Brightsky-warm light brown she-cat (mother of Cedarheart's kits, Tigerkit, a dark brown tabby tom with green eyes, Petalkit, a light brown tabby she-cat, and Darkkit, a dark brown tom)

Blazepelt-deceased ginger she-cat with green eyes (mother of Birchstep's kits, Amberkit, a ginger she-cat with amber eyes, Ashkit, a gray tom, and Lilackit, a light gray she-cat, who are being nursed by Brightsky)

Elders:

Treefall-brown tom

Mousetail-orange she-cat

**StoneClan**

Leader:  Harestar-scrawny gray tom

Deputy:  Sagepelt-orange she-cat

Medicine Cat:  Shivertail-lean, light brown tabby tom

Warriors:

Flashfang-well muscled orange tabby tom _(apprentice, Hawkpaw)_

Flightheart-light brown tabby she-cat

Goldenfur-striped golden she-cat with amber eyes

Boulderfall-gray tabby tom

Honeydew-golden brown she-cat _(apprentice, Lightpaw)_

Thundersky-dark gray tom

Rockpelt-black tom

Darkpool-dark brown she-cat with blue eyes _(apprentice, Dustpaw)_

Frostclaw-black-and-white tom

Hazelberry-cream colored she-cat

Kestrelstrike-light brown she-cat with green eyes

Apprentices:

Dustpaw-dark brown tom _(mentor, Darkpool)_

Hawkpaw-brown tom with blue eyes _(mentor, Flashfang)_

Lightpaw-striped light brown she-cat _(mentor, Honeydew)_

Queens:

Icefeather-pure white she-cat (expecting Frostclaw's kits)

Mapleleaf-brown she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Flashfang's kits: Brackenkit, a reddish brown tom with blue eyes and Stripekit, a striped brown tom)

Elders:

Stripepelt-dark brown tabby tom

Sandwave-golden brown tom

**CreekClan**

Leader: Ripplestar-white she-cat with black lines running down her pelt

Deputy: Marshpelt-gray she-cat

Medicine Cat: Runningbreeze-light brown tom

Warriors:

Wavestorm-blue-gray she-cat with kind eyes

Pebbleskip-black tom _(apprentice, Streampaw)_

Brambleheart-dark brown tabby she-cat with one white paw _(apprentice, Lionpaw)_

Splashfoot-tortoiseshell she-cat

Featherpool-light gray tabby she-cat with green eyes

Leopardleap-mottled ginger tom

Splotchtail-white-and-brown she-cat with a brown tipped tail

Reedfur-dark brown tom

Rushwater-gray tom with amber eyes _(apprentice, Minnowpaw)_

Apprentices:

Streampaw-dark gray she-cat _(mentor, Pebbleskip)_

Lionpaw-golden brown tabby tom_ (mentor, Brambleheart)_

Minnowpaw-light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes _(mentor, Rushwater)_

Queens:

Blizzardfire –white she-cat (mother of Pebbleskip's kits, Whitekit, a white she-cat with amber eyes, and Blackkit, a black tom)

Redfur-reddish brown she-cat (mother of Leopardleap's kits, Mothkit, a mottled golden brown she-cat, and Hollykit, a dark russet she-cat)

Elders:

Owlclaw-light brown she-cat

Troutleap-dark gray tom

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Introduction<span>

Life is hard. Some of it is harder for others.

I was born on a cold frosty night, sliding out into the frigid air to a symphony of sounds: my father yowling with sorrow, my siblings mewing for milk in little huddled heaps, and my mother, her breathing barely audible.

My mother.

She was a beautiful ginger cat, with long silky fur and clear green eyes. She survived for exactly one moon after I was born, lying weak and tired in her new nest in the medicine cat's den until she finally gave in and went to StarClan.

Her name was Blazepelt, a name well fitting for her bright ginger coat. Only after her death did the color seem to fade until she didn't seem like the same cat, only a body lying before the cats repeating her name and watching vigil.

I took after her coat: the same fiery color, but not her eyes. My eyes I inherited from my father, Birchstep—amber eyes, the same as my name. But Blazepelt named me after my pelt, as brilliant as her own.

My father heard her say it. The medicine cat, Whispersong, heard her. And I heard her say it too, even though my eyes were shut tight against the harshness of life, and my ginger pelt shivering with cold.

"This last kit—my kit—shall be named Amberkit, named for her pelt."

Her words were faltering syllables, and her voice dropped off into a harsh, racking cough. She'd had whitecough when we were born, and after that, the sickness veered deeper into greencough, eventually taking her life.

Birchstep was heartbroken, and only came into the nursery once to see my siblings and me, to make sure that we were well, sucking borrowed milk from the side of another queen. Another queen, one who had survived through her birth, and her three kits with her.

And then he was like a distant memory, a shrunken husk of a cat. He performed his warrior duties with the best of his ability, and fought the other Clan cats in battle well, but inside he was empty.

What was there to live for? Surely not his Clan, though he went on patrols every sunrise and brought home sizable amounts of prey each day. Surely not the Warrior code and the promise of StarClan, though he followed the rules and believed in his ancestors faithfully. Surely not his mate, for she had died and left him alone and was the very cause of his unhappiness.

And surely not us—not _me_—his very own kits.

In Birchstep's mind, we were the cause of Blazepelt's death. We should have died instead of her, should have joined StarClan even before we had lived, in her place.

When I was old enough to understand this, old enough to play games with my littermates, Lilackit and Ashkit, I thought I didn't care. Much. You can't miss what you never had. But sometimes you do.

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><p>"Amberkit! <em>Wake up<em>!"

A paw prods me in my side, a sharp voice cuts through my dreams. But I don't want to wake up, don't want to open my eyes and leave the warmth of Brightsky's side, my foster mother. And so, I only curl up into a tighter ball and try to find my way back to sleep, where in my dreams my mother will be alive and my father will love me and everything will be all right.

"Get _up_!" a voice shouts suddenly, right into my ear.

I shoot up like a frightened rabbit, only this rabbit isn't frightened—it's mad. I stand on all four paws, glaring at the culprit—a dark brown tabby tom-kit.

"Tigerkit! I wanted to sleep!" I yell at him, my peaceful dreams forgotten. My ginger tail swishes back and forth angrily.

He smirks. "Well, you're awake now, aren't you?"

"You little—" I lunge at him, toppling him over just as he yells, "Hey, you're little too!"

His mother, Brightsky, sits up and looks at us. "Kits, Lilackit and Stonekit are still sleeping. Why don't you play outside?"

Untangling ourselves, we both nod at her and race outside to where my brother, Ashkit, and Tigerkit's sister, Petalkit, are already tossing around a moss ball. I skid to a stop, blinking my amber eyes against the bright sunshine.

Tigerkit is already calling out to them. "Hey, guys! Could we play too?"

"Sure!" Petalkit plants one light brown paw on the moss ball, bringing it to a halt, and Tigerkit and I take up our positions on either side of her. My brother Ashkit stands across from Petalkit. Then we began the game.

First, Petalkit passes it to Ashkit. He gives it to Tigerkit, who shoots it at me with a quick blow of his paw. His sniggers are abruptly stopped when I manage to hook the ball with my claws, just preventing it from escaping.

"You didn't succeed," I tease, sticking out my tongue.

"It doesn't matter," he scoffs. "Pass the ball already, wouldja?"

I kick it to Ashkit, who sends it to Tigerkit again. The game goes on, with Tigerkit repeatedly shooting the moss ball at me, trying to slip the ball past my quick paws and trying to make me lose. Each time, I foil him, but he only grins and waits for his turn to try again.

Then I'm caught off guard, and he spins the moss ball past my leg with a quick kick of his paw while I am watching a bird preen itself in a tree.

"Ha, I finally got you!" he crows, green eyes dancing with delight.

"Note the 'finally'," I say drily, and turn around to chase after the moss ball. Leaving Tigerkit to his celebrating, Ashkit and Petalkit follow me, and Tigerkit is forced to come too, lest he be left behind.

_There it is!_ The moss ball has rolled to a tree, cradled in its roots—the very same tree in which the bird I have been watching has been roosted in. Without looking either way, I leap for it excitedly—and slam right into a light gray side.

I fall back on my hind legs and look up into a pair of amber eyes, the same as my own. A sliver of regret flashes in the cat's eyes, then turn hard and empty. The sun, shining only a second before, hides behind a cloud.

I have just crashed into my father.

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><p>A cliffhanger, on the very first chapter, yay! It's not very cliffhanger-ish, but still leaves you to wonder. Review, review, review! :) (So that I may come home from my skiing vacation to find an email full of review alerts. ;D)<p>

~Ponyiowa


	2. Decision

Hey, I'm back from my skiing trip! Yay! :D Again, thanks to Hikari Fox for letting me use some of her names! :) I know I haven't put up the summary yet, but I'm still thinking of what to put there. I'm just not good at summaries... :/

Dawnwish112: Awww, thanks! :)

California Rain: Yep, you were the first one to actually read it! :D

irishgirl432432: Thank you! :)

Hikari Fox: It looks like you changed your name! Cool! :) Thanks for giving me so more names, I added them into the Allegiances. You're a big help! :D

SakuraFlutist: Actually, I'm not sure. Like with _Everything but Nothing_, I'm letting the story play out by itself. :P

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Decision<span>

His cold amber eyes look down at me, and I feel small and insignificant, like the five-moons-old kit I am.

And then indignation flares up inside me. _Why should_ I_ feel small? Why should _I_ feel like I'm not worth anything, because he isn't a worthwhile father? Why should _I_—and Lilackit and Ashkit—be blamed for our mother's death?_

I stare back into his eyes, thoughts swirling around my head, and meow evenly, "Hello, _Dad_."

Birchstep blinks, and momentarily, the spell is broken. Then his eyes harden again. "Hello, Amberkit," he replies.

"Why haven't you come to see us?" I ask innocently, knowing perfectly well the reason. Petalkit, Ashkit, and Tigerkit have now reached us, skidding to a stop when they see my father and I facing off.

The light gray tom swallows visibly. "Well, I haven't had enough time."

_Liar._ I wave my front right paw at him, putting on a happy pretense. "But you're right here! Why don't you come play with us now?" Discreetly looking behind me, I send Ashkit a sharp look. _Join in the act. _

Having also inherited Blazepelt's intelligence and intuitive, my brother nods and circles behind Birchstep, taking silent, still steps. Our father is now fenced in by his two kits. "Dad, you can be a StoneClan warrior!" he meows, catching Birchstep off guard.

"I'll be the LeafClan leader," I say, naming my Clan now that Ashkit has suggested StoneClan for Birchstep. The last Clan is CreekClan, and that'll probably be the Clan that Ashkit puts himself in.

As if reading my thoughts, Ashkit says, "And I'm the CreekClan deputy, Ashclaw! It'll be a battle where all of the Clans fight!" Yes, there are only three Clans. Part of the warrior code is that there can't be a two to one battle, for fear of killing of one Clan.

Tigerkit adds that he's the LeafClan deputy—naming himself Tigerflame, which I promptly laugh at and receive a frown—and Petalkit declares herself the StoneClan leader, Petalstar. Now there are four kits staring expectantly at Birchstep.

I sneer to myself. _What fun. _

Silence. Then Birchstep takes a step back, and says, "I'm sorry, but I _don't have time_ right now." I bound up to him to make up for the space lost and say, with my best pleading look, "But _Dad_!" Of course, this is all for show.

"I really wanted to play with you!" Ashkit whines, with a gleam in his eyes that only I can see.

Suddenly, our leader, Branchstar, calls out for Birchstep to join the hunting patrol, and I can swear that my father's face suddenly looks a million times more relieved. "See? I have to go now. I'll see you later." He quickly turns and joins the back of the patrol, not looking back while they disappear through the bramble tunnel.

I know we will see him later. But he won't play with us. Not now, not then, not ever.

I pad back to the nursery, politely refusing Ashkit's, Petalkit's, and Tigerkit's invitation to take up the game again. Silently, I curl up at Brightsky's side, feeling the warmth of her body added with Lilackit's and Stonekit's.

She sweeps her tail gently over my back, but doesn't say anything. That's what I love about her—the fact that she'll comfort you when you're sad, but not push you about it unless want to talk. I imagine that Blazepelt would be just the same if she were alive.

Resting my chin on my paws, I stare straight ahead at the blank nursery wall. A ladybug crawls lazily up the dirt wall toward the ceiling, then vanishes through a crack. It's just like how Birchstep sees me and my siblings: an insignificant thing that will vanish, will disappear, just as long as you ignore it and it ignores you.

_Why does my father hate me? Why, why, why…?_ My question echoes in my mind, puzzling every fiber in my being. Blazepelt died because giving birth to us weakened her even further until she did die, but he still has us. He still has me. And yet he chooses to ignore us, chooses to look away while the ladybug crawls through the crack. It wasn't our fault, really. All we did were be born, while she died.

A small frown touches my mouth as I find another reason to be mad at Birchstep. We love our mother too, even though we barely knew her. He isn't the only one who loved her. And yet, we're being blamed for her death. And what's the cause of all of this? Love. Yes, that's right.

The ladybug crawls back through the crack, the outside of the nursery apparently being not interesting enough. Taking wing, it zips through the air and lands on my nose impudently. Interrupting my thoughts, I immediately sit up and bat at it, smacking my face in the process. Having succeeded in annoying me, the spotted black-and-red insect flies upward, escaping my blow, and circles the den. Then it zooms outside to irritate some other unsuspecting cat.

I lie back down with my chin on my paws and my tail curled around my side, reviewing my thoughts. Love is at fault. It's the reason why Birchstep was so heartbroken when our mother died, and it's the reason why he can barely look at us, can't even spare time to play. But what's there to do about it?

Suddenly, there's a pained yowl sounding outside the nursery, and a commotion starts. I figure that the hunting patrol has come back, and jump to my feet to take a look. At the edge of the den, I find that I am right. But there's something else, a surprising factor that I hadn't predicted.

One of our most loyal warriors, Oakpelt, is lying in the middle of the camp. Dead. His mate, Ravenwing, pushes her nose into his bloody fur, keening. She must have been the one who yowled.

The LeafClan medicine cat, Whispersong, is coming out of her den. She stops in front of Branchstar, asking him, "What happened?" She doesn't go over to Oakpelt's side, for everyone knows that it's too late.

"It was a dog," Branchstar said. "We tried to fight it off, but Oakpelt was severely wounded, so we escaped and retreated. On the way here, he died from his injuries." Wails rise up from the assembled cats, Ashfeather and Ivyrain being two of them, as they are his sisters and direct littermates. Ravenwing is still hunched at Oakpelt's side, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Whispersong nods, and turns away to comfort Ravenwing. She says something to the mourning black she-cat, who, after listening, gets to her paws, still sniffling. Whispersong gently guides Ravenwing to the medicine cat den, probably for a poppy seed to soothe her a bit, while Branchstar announces the cats who will sit for the fallen warrior's vigil: Ravenwing, Ivyrain, Ashfeather, Breezetail, and Twigclaw.

I turn away from the scene, and curl up back at Brightsky's side. This time she has no comforting tail stroke for me, for she has fallen asleep and was not awoken by Ravenwing's sorrowful cry. Just as well; I have some new thoughts to ponder.

Ravenwing is now heartbroken, just like my father is. Now another valuable warrior has been lost: to a filthy, smelly dog, no less. It will probably take Ravenwing, along with Ivyrain and Ashfeather, many moons to heal their loss. And what is the cause? Love. Yet again, it is love. And in a split second, I make my decision and seal my heart shut tight.

_I will never love._

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><p>That's a pretty hefty decision, isn't it? :0 I know those are some deep thoughts and a big decision for a kit to make, but remember, she's almost an apprentice, and has a lot of things affecting her. So I think that's okay. :

Review, please! :)

~Ponyiowa


	3. Grooming

Hello, everyone! I know something surprising has happened in _Everything but Nothing_, but right now you'll just have to settle with the third chapter of Phoenix. :P Enjoy!

California Rain: I'll change those, thanks! :)

SakuraFlutist: Thank you! :)

Spottedfire98: Thanks! And aww, you have a kitten and it's taking a nap on your arm? Cute! 3

Silverwing: Yeah, Birchstep really should be nicer to his kits. But that's the way the story goes. *sighs*

Smurflover: Don't worry, I updated _Everything but Nothing_ yesterday (as you saw) and I'm still going to! :D And yes, I'm glad that my dad isn't that mean, too! :)

Cherrynose: Thanks! You accidentally reviewed Chapter 1 thrice, though. Oh, well.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.** Wow, a lot of my reviewers' names start with "S". 0.o -*random thought*

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><p><span>Chapter 3: Grooming<span>

Life goes on and LeafClan slowly recovers from the loss of Oakpelt. Ravenwing has become best friends with Whispersong, as the medicine cat always had a comforting word for the black she-cat whenever she thought of Oakpelt. Whispersong's brother, Grayfeather, had died two moons ago, and so she felt a kinship with Ravenwing.

And friendship is built off of kind words and connections, is it not? _But friendship is all I have_, I remind myself of my promise as I pad out of the apprentices' den two sunrises after Oakpelt's death. Casting that thought aside, I slowly stretch outside of the den, and then begin grooming myself.

It's my apprentice ceremony today, and as I have no mother or father who will lick my fur to perfection, I will have to do it myself. The sun warms my back as I slowly smooth down my chest fur, then my legs and paws. Then Tigerkit surprises me by sneaking up behind me while I'm working on my ears.

`"What are you doing?" His voice is laced with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

I stop licking and turn around to face him. "Grooming," I reply casually.

His nose wrinkles. "Why?"

"Because it's my apprentice ceremony, that's why."

"It's mine, too," Tigerkit says unnecessarily.

"Duh." I resume my licking, grooming my tail until it gleams like a snake's scales, looking like a sinuous ginger-colored serpent. I wave my groomed-to-perfection tail at him. "See? It's called _grooming_. So you look good for your apprentice ceremony." I eye him. "Which you don't, by the way."

Tigerkit huffs. "You're supposed to loathe being groomed for an apprentice ceremony. That's what always happens."

"Says who?

"Says me."

"Your opinion doesn't matter." I finish up licking and stand up. "There, I'm done. I look great and you look like a drowned mouse."

"Hey!" He knows I don't mean it, though, and there's a teasing light in his eyes. I glance at him—dark brown tabby fur, dancing green eyes, with a smile tugging at the side of his mouth. For a moment my heartbeat speeds up and my promise is forgotten, but then Brightsky pads out of the nursery, and the moment is broken. Ashkit, Lilackit, Petalkit, and Darkkit follow at her heels.

I'm berating myself. _You stupid head, it's only been two days and already you're forgetting what you told yourself. Do I really have such a weak will?_ I steel myself. _Remember Birchstep and Ravenwing. _

My foster mother looks at me, pleased. "You're groomed already!" I tug myself away from my thoughts and force a smile onto my face.

"Yep! I woke up early and since it's my apprentice ceremony, I want to look good for it," I explain.

Brightsky nods, smiling. "Very good, Amberkit." Then she glances at Tigerkit, who's now sitting next to me, and a frown appears on her face. "Tigerkit!"

The dark brown tabby tom-kit looks up, instantly on alert. "Wh-at?" he stammers, scrambling to his paws.

"You're not groomed!" Brightsky reprimands. "Look at Amberkit, she's practically shining." She takes a moment to gaze fondly at me, then turns her attention back to the now cowering Tigerkit. "And you—you look like a drowned mouse!"

"That's what I said," I quip under my breath, making sure only Tigerkit can hear me. He gives me the evil eye, and I smirk back at him before he vanishes under a flurry of licking from his mother. Brightsky's licking is punctuated with comments as she grooms her son.

"Look at the state of your fur!" _Lick, lick._ "And would you look at those ears?" _Lick, lick._ "Your father would be so ashamed." _Lick, lick._ "I'm so glad I got to you before your apprentice ceremony!" _Lick, lick._

I snigger behind my paw. Apparently Ashkit, Lilackit, Petalkit, and Darkkit agree with me, for they're all holding back laughs while shakily grooming themselves. When Brightsky turns around, she'll be pleased to find all the rest of her kits, foster ones or not, licked to perfection.

Petalkit, Lilackit, Darkkit, and Ashkit just finish grooming themselves before Brightsky deems Tigerkit worthy to become an apprentice. The light brown she-cat turns around to find five kits, including me, sitting before her with gleaming pelts.

"Look, you groomed yourselves!" she exclaims with delight. "That way I don't have to track you down and hold you to the ground while licking you." There's a glimmer in her eye that tells us that she's not kidding. We all exchange glances, silently agreeing that grooming ourselves was a good option.

Behind Brightsky, Tigerkit looks steaming mad. His eyes find mine and silently promise, _I will get you back for this later_. I stick my tongue out at him when Brightsky's examining Lilackit, making sure that the space between her ears is clean, and Tigerkit manages to look even more furious.

Oh, yes. This is fun.

Brightsky finishes looking over my sister and judges that the rest of us are groomed properly. She then sits beside Darkkit, a slight proud smile on her face, waiting for the apprentice ceremony to begin.

I look at my foster mother, and a sudden burst of warmth inside my chest surprises me. _I love Brightsky, and she loves me._ When I promised myself that I wouldn't love, I didn't mean not feeling warmth for Brightsky, or Lilackit or Ashkit, or even Birchstep. Just…not having a mate.

Eying Tigerkit and Darkkit, I conclude that it's not such a big loss. There's another tom-kit, though: Graykit. His sister is Cloudkit, a white she-kit. Their mother is Doveflight, and I'm pretty sure their father is Breezetail.

Remembering another reason why Brightsky is a good mother, I smile. It must have been hard for her, having to nurse six kits. Tigerkit, Darkkit, and Petalkit are her first litter, as Ashkit, Lilackit, and I were Blazepelt's—and her last. I recall a sunny afternoon when Doveflight and Brightsky were conversing, and Doveflight commented that Cloudkit and Graykit were her second litter.

So, Brightsky had had the heart to take on nursing six kits on her first time, while Doveflight, who'd already had one litter, and only two kits her second time, didn't? I'm not so sure if I like Doveflight, but I remind myself to give her the benefit of the doubt. I haven't gotten the chance to talk to her or her kits yet.

Lilackit, Ashkit, and I were born on the same night as Petalkit, Darkkit, and Tigerkit. Whispersong, the medicine cat, and her apprentice, Swallowpaw, must have had their paws full guiding one queen's birthing and then another's. But, one queen survived. And one queen didn't.

I sigh to myself, but my thoughts are broken by Branchstar leaping up onto what I've learned from Brightsky is called the "Hightree", though it's a not-very-tall evergreen tree. I expect that if it actually _was_ high, or tall, then it would be hard for any leaders of LeafClan to make announcements and ceremonies to their Clanmates, for they would have to shout.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather around the Hightree!" the light brown tabby leader yowls. I feel a spark of excitement inside me. My apprentice ceremony was about to begin!

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><p>'Kay, so in this chapter you got to see Tigerkit and Amberkit teasing each other (aren't they cute? ;)) and a specification of Amberkit's promise: she can love her foster mother, littermates, father, etc., but not any other cat that's not technically related to her, in a "mate" way. Think you understand? Good. :) Oh, and it's a bit hard for me to write in present tense, so please point out any mistakes you see. :)<p>

Review! :D

~Ponyiowa


	4. Ceremonies

Hello, guys! :D I won't be able to update _Everything but Nothing_ today as my mom has outlawed me from using the internet except for uploading this (long story). But enjoy this! :)

California Rain: I _am_ finding this a bit easier to write with; first of all, they aren't spitting insults at each other. :P Yeah, I'm pretty sure "thrice" is a word. If it isn't, oh well. :P I'll fix that mistake, thanks. :) And you're starting to figure out the storyline! *gasp* :0

SakuraFlutist: Thanks! :)

Cherrynose: Yes, aren't they cute? 3

zestia240: Thank you! :D

RandomFalcon: You made an account? Cool! :D Amberkit is actually a bit serious about this promise, but Tigerkit's going to change that. ;)

Smurflover: It's okay if you don't want to, but it helps boost my review count and I always get so happy when I get reviews. :D And yes, other people are reviewing every chapter (thank you, my faithful reviewers)! :D

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 4: Ceremonies<span>

Cats come streaming out of their dens, flocking to the space beneath the Hightree. Brightsky makes us stand up, flicking dust off our rumps with her tail, just as Doveflight and her two kits come out. The two queens exchange small talk—such as "Our kits are going to be apprenticed!", and things like that—before leading us to the Hightree, too.

Branchstar is still waiting for the elders to stagger out of their den when we find ourselves a position beneath the Hightree, so I take the time to examine Cloudkit and Graykit. Cloudkit has soft-looking white fur, with blue eyes. Graykit has, of course, a gray pelt—it'd be stupid if he had ginger fur like mine and was called Graykit—with green eyes.

Graykit is talking with Tigerkit, Darkkit, and my brother, but Cloudkit is sitting silently by her mother and father, who is, as I thought, Breezetail. Thinking she must be lonely or not feeling well, I pad over to her, giving her a bright smile.

"Hi, my name's Amberkit. Your name's Cloudkit, right?"

The look she gives me is enough to scorch the fur off of a squirrel. "What does it matter to you?" she says icily.

I become defensive. "I was just trying to be friendly!"

Cloudkit sniffs, looking at me. "I don't need to be friends with little kits." A cold leafbare wind blows around the camp.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Duh, I was born five sunrises before you! So I'm older."

_And what does that matter?_ I think inside my head, and decide to leave. Cloudkit gives me no parting "good-bye" as I pad back toward Lilackit and Petalkit. I want to talk to Lilackit and Petalkit, to warn them about Cloudkit's frostiness, but Branchstar is starting to speak, so I hold my silence.

"Cats of LeafClan, we are gathered here today to perform two ceremonies," he announces. "First, there are a few apprentices who have earned their right to be a warrior." He calls up a ginger she-cat, Redpaw, and names her Redpelt, and then a black tom, Thunderpaw, and names him Thunderflash, using the formal warrior ceremony words. There's one more apprentice, Swallowpaw, but she's a medicine cat apprentice, and will get her medicine cat name when Whispersong decides so.

The Clan cheers their names, and I add my voice to theirs, though I'm impatient for me to become an apprentice. Then it's time for the apprentice ceremony, and I'm excited. First he calls up Cloudkit and Graykit, as they're_ older_. I cheer the new Graypaw's name, but avoid saying Cloudpaw's. Branchstar apprentices Cloudpaw to Ivyrain, and Graypaw to Rainsong.

Though Blazepelt's litter and Brightsky's kits were born only a few hours apart, Brightsky's litter was born first. As I was the last kit to suckle at my mother's belly, I'm the youngest kit—very soon to be apprentice—in LeafClan, though not by much.

In accordance to birth, Branchstar calls up Darkkit, Petalkit, and Tigerkit. Up in the Hightree—which I think is ironically named—their pelts shine with perfection, and I don't think Tigerkit regrets being licked anymore. Who wants to look like a drowned mouse in front of your Clan?

Darkkit is now Darkpaw, Petalkit is Petalpaw, and Tigerkit is Tigerpaw. Their mentors are Breezetail, Twigclaw, and Ravenwing. LeafClan cheers their names. "Darkpaw! Petalpaw! Tigerpaw!"

Now it's my littermates' and my turn. Branchstar calls us up, and I trail Ashkit and Lilackit as they pad calmly to the Hightree and jump up. I'm not sure if soon-to-be-apprentices-but-still kits should be allowed to climb in trees, but I follow my littermates' lead and leap into the evergreen next to Branchstar.

"First up, Ashkit," Branchstar meows, looking at my dark gray-pelted brother. "Ashkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Ashpaw. Your mentor will be Pounceclaw. I hope Pounceclaw will pass down all he knows to you." He nods at the white-and-brown splotched tom, who joins us, leaping onto a lower branch of the evergreen.

"Pounceclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Mousetail, and you have shown yourself to be passionate and wise. You will be the mentor of Ashpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

We cheer Ashpaw's name. My brother and Pounceclaw leap down from the Hightree in a singular motion, and Branchstar continues on. He makes Lilackit an apprentice, Lilacpaw, and apprentices my sister to Cedarheart. LeafClan calls out Lilacpaw's name. "Lilacpaw, Lilacpaw!"

Then it is my turn. I am the only one left on the Hightree besides Branchstar. The light brown tabby tom repeats the same speech he used for Cloudpaw, Graypaw, Darkpaw, and the others, and starts to name my mentor. There are only two warriors who aren't the deputy or the leader left who don't have any apprentices, and that's Ashfeather, the dead Oakpelt's sister, and my father, Birchstep.

Fathers and mothers aren't allowed to mentor their children, so I figure I'll get Ashfeather. But as Branchstar starts to say, "Your mentor will be," he stops, looking flustered. I think I understand why he stopped. If Ashfeather is my mentor, Birchstep will be the only warrior, not including Branchstar or Falconflight, that doesn't have an apprentice.

Warriors with apprentices can still hunt prey, of course, but warriors without one are faster at catching prey and have more time to, with no apprentice to teach, or an apprentice that lags behind and that might accidentally scare away possible fresh-kill.

_There are a large amount of kits for a leafbare, _I think, and count in my head. Eight. There are eight apprentices now, seven if you don't include the fact that Branchstar has to figure out who my mentor is and complete my apprentice ceremony. Plus, my father is one of the younger warriors, so he's not as good as hunting and catching prey as Pounceclaw or one of the older warriors might be._ So who shall my mentor be? _I wait for Branchstar to finish his sentence, but a few Clan members are shifting their paws, the elders in particular, who are waiting to get back to their dens and lie down, safe in shelter away from the cold leafbare wind. Branchstar finally opens his mouth again.

"Amberpaw, your mentor will be…" he pauses, as if making a final, last decision in his head, "…Falconflight." A gale of wind whips up, but it's not enough to disguise the murmurings that start up.

_Falconflight? The deputy?_

* * *

><p>My reasoning for Branchstar not giving Amberpaw Ashfeather as a mentor, but Falconflight instead, may have a hole or two in it, but I tried hard to make it all work. :) Oh, and you get to meet Cloudkitpaw! Isn't she a sweetie? :P

Review!

~Ponyiowa


	5. Stumble

Here's the chapter, guys! Sorry for the wait. (It was really funny reading all your sarcasm about Cloudpaw!)

Cherrynose: LOL, you always like the bad guys. :P

Zestia240: I will! :D

California Rain: I'll fix those. And yes, you are the boss. :P

Spottedfire98: Indeed, indeed she is. :P

Smurflover: Yeah, it works. And thanks!

Kitty Cat: Thank you! :D

SakuraFlutist: Yep! :)

Phoenixwing of WingClan: Why, thank you! :D

Random Falcon: Well, here's the chapter. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 5: Stumble<span>

Branchstar clears his throat, a clear signal telling the whispers to stop. They stop, but I know there are still some curious questions bouncing around in LeafClan cats' heads. I'm wondering, myself. _Was it a sure resolution or a split-second decision?_ The deputy, after all, of a Clan, is practically a leader, but without the nine lives or as much power. And when the leader dies, the deputy _will _become the leader instead.

Falconflight, a strong-looking dark gray tabby tom, bounds onto the Hightree. The branch he lands on shakes for a moment, then steadies. "Falconflight,you are ready to take on a second apprentice. You will be the mentor of Amberpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

The deputy of LeafClan nods, and he leaps back off the evergreen. I follow him, landing awkwardly on one paw, an action that sends a flash of pain shooting up my leg. I stumble, hearing a quiet snicker—Cloudpaw's, no doubt—but regain my balance, gritting my teeth. It's no big injury, and so I ignore it. Falconflight sits beside his mate, Ivyrain, and I go back to Lilacpaw and Petalpaw, limping slightly, but trying hard not to show it.

"This meeting is now over," Branchstar concludes, and bounds off the Hightree, disappearing to his den. The cats assembled start to break up, assembling into hunting patrols or gathering to talk.

"Your mentor's the deputy; that's so cool!" Petalpaw squeals to me. Darkpaw, Ashpaw, Graypaw, and Tigerpaw crowd around us to join in the excited conversation of Falconflight being my mentor. As the only apprentice left, Cloudpaw has to join the circle to not look like a left-out kit, though she has a frown on her face.

"What did you do, bribe him?" she sneers.

I'm ticked off by her rudeness. "No, nothing," I answer honestly. I don't feel like repeating my reasoning of how Falconflight was practically the only choice left, so I conclude my answer with a shrug.

Cloudpaw snorts. She obviously doesn't believe me. But Tigerpaw opens his mouth to add something in.

"Branchstar must think she's better than any of us," he says, "if he chose the deputy to be her mentor." There's no definite tone in his voice. I look at him, surprised, searching his face for any sign of sarcasm—but there isn't. Instead, there's an inscrutable expression on his face, one that I can't decipher.

The white apprentice looks taken back for a moment, shocked at the fact that someone would stand up for me, against her, but then composes her expression. "Oh, really? Then what did you do, that was _so_ better than what we did?" Her voice drips sweet venom.

I open my mouth to reply, all the while frantically searching my mind for a scathing riposte. _Um…_ Then I'm saved by Falconflight's voice.

"Amberpaw!" he calls. "I'm taking you out for our first training session!"

I spin quickly on my heels, shooting out a quick "Later" at the others, and join Falconflight, who's waiting by the bramble infested entrance. As I pad out of the camp with my new mentor by my side, trying to ignore the sharp pain in my right front leg, I hear Cloudpaw hiss, "See, she thinks she's so great." I growl softly under my breath as I step out into the rest of LeafClan terrain, while Falconflight looks at me, puzzled as to why I am growling.

But what I don't hear as Falconflight and I walk off into the cold leafbare air, is Tigerpaw snarling back venomously, "Put a mouse in it, Cloudpaw."

* * *

><p>Falconflight leads me along the LeafClan border, familiarizing me with the scent of the CreekClan and StoneClan territories. CreekClan smells fishy, while StoneClan smells…stale. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Just a bleak, empty scent. Like nothing at all.<p>

"StoneClan smells weird," I tell Falconflight, who just laughs.

"That's exactly what I told my mentor when he first took me out here," the deputy says lightly.

I'm curious at that, and I can't stop myself from asking, "And who was your mentor?"

"He was…." Falconflight hesitates, a misty nostalgia sweeping over his eyes. "He was called Fireblaze." _Was_. From the hitch in Falconflight's voice, Fireblaze and he must have had a strong connection. A memory tickles my mind, and I seize upon it. Everyone's heard of the brave warrior, with a flaming ginger pelt and bold amber eyes. He once fought off a huge dog, all by himself. But then, one fateful day, he was killed by a falling tree, having flung himself into the way while knocking his mate, Mousetail, out of the way. The entire Clan mourned him for moons.

That's what I recall from the elders' stories, told on rainy evenings when we kits were all bored to pieces and had nothing else to do.

"Fireblaze was your grandfather, you know," Falconflight says suddenly. I look up, surprised. _Really?_ Mousetail, Fireblaze, and my mother, Blazepelt, were and are the only ginger cats in LeafClan. Except for me.

I look down at my injured, ginger-colored paw, lifting it off the ground while mulling over my thoughts. How could I have not made the connection before? But Mousetail had never said anything about my littermates and me being her grandkits. Searching my memory, I remember another piece of information from Treefall's stories: Mousetail and Fireblaze had had only one kit. We'd never been told who, though. I hadn't cared, either, on those rainy, boredom-filled evenings. It had seemed like ancient history back then.

But now I know that my mother, Blazepelt, was that one kit, and that my siblings and I are the grandkits of one of the bravest warriors LeafClan has ever had.

"Are you done scenting the air?" my mentor asks crisply, breaking into my realization. I set my right paw down gingerly, trying not to wince as the hurt paw touches the ground. Then I look back up at the cat who my grandfather mentored, and who is now mentoring me.

"Yes," I say, and we set off once more.

We've made our way around the entire border of LeafClan, traveling in silence, when Falconflight announces, "Let's go back to the camp now."

I stop, surprised. I'd known that we'd finished scenting the two other Clans, but I hadn't prepared to go back just yet. "But…" I begin, and then falter. I probably sound very impudent, like a whiny little kit.

"But what?" Falconflight's voice is patient, and his tone feels reassuring and trustful. And so I try again, taking a deep breath.

"Could we…could we possibly try hunting first? I…I really want to." _Great StarClan, now he's never going to say yes,_ I scold myself in my mind. I hate myself for sounding so weak and puny, but Falconflight_ is_ intimidating, at least to me, and I've never talked to him before. Plus, he's the deputy. That's about as frightening as talking to the leader is. And learning that his mentor was my grandfather only makes it more scary trying to converse with him.

"Alright." He said yes! I hesitate for a few moments, still surprised over his agreement, but Falconflight's already taken a few steps forward and is now looking at me, puzzled.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go."

"Nothing," I reply, and follow him to a secluded clearing in the center of a circle of evergreens, just like the ironically named Hightree. The dark gray tabby tom teaches me how to pounce, and I try to follow his movements. However, every time I land, my injured paw sends a throbbing pain jetting up my leg, and I have to hide my hisses of pain.

I finally manage to land on the stick that's masquerading as a vole, and Falconflight congratulates me. We work more on that before he suddenly turns his head, hearing something.

"I think I hear a whole nest of mice somewhere," Falconflight says. "Is it okay if I leave you here for a few moments to check it out?" He means, of course, "Could he go off for a while and actually catch some prey while I worked on my pouncing?"

I nod, and my mentor disappears through the trees, promising to be back soon. I turn back to my pouncing, trying and retrying again and again. I get to the point where I'm landing squarely on the twig every single time, which is when I switch the stick for a berry. The shriveled fruit, the last of the berries that a bush has bore for the winter, will be harder to land on and will help me to control my pouncing. Real prey won't stay still like a stick, and so this will assist me better until Falconflight comes back or I get to try catching actually prey.

My pouncing is going pretty good, when suddenly a cardinal swoops out of a tree with a harsh cry, startling me just as I leap into the air. Involuntarily, my head turns to the right where a bright dot of red is disappearing into the leafbare sky, and I come down hard on my right front paw. My right front _injured _paw.

I can't stop myself from releasing a loud and strangled, _"Ow!" _I try to get up, but every time I try to scrabble to my feet, a sharp pain inflames my paw and I collapse on the ground again. "Falconflight!" I yell. No answer. I call again, all the while trying to stand up and failing, but there's nothing. Falconflight should have heard my yelling by now, but I don't see or hear any sign of him.

"Great StarClan," I grumble under my breath. Then I hear pawsteps running closer. I lift my head and sit up, expecting Falconflight with a bunch of mice hanging from his jaws, but instead it's Tigerpaw, and his mentor Ravenwing.

"Amberpaw?" Tigerpaw stops in his tracks, surprised. "Was that you calling?" I nod my head, then hiss in pain when my paw, which I'm holding up and trying to keep off the ground, accidentally bumps the dirt.

Tigerpaw bounds closer. "Are you hurt?"

"_Yes_." My pain makes my tone icy, but Tigerpaw seems unaffected.

"Where?"

"My leg." I watch his expression as he remembers me stumbling as I jumped out of the Hightree after the apprentice ceremony. Ravenwing also steps closer to me. "Where's Falconflight?" she questions.

"Off catching mice," I say in a deadpan.

The black she-cat makes a decision. "I'll go find him and then get Whispersong," she says. "Tigerpaw, you stay here with Amberpaw."

Tigerpaw nods and settles down next to me while Ravenwing dashes off to find Falconflight and Whispersong. "Don't worry, you'll be okay," he whispers, his breath making a cloud of visible air in the frosty leafbare cold.

I want to protest, to say that I'm actually not worried at all, that it's just my leg. _Why's Tigerpaw trying to reassure me, anyway? _But I don't feel up for being snarky, and so I hold back my grumpy retort and lie down, flopping my head on my paws and being careful not to put any pressure on my right paw.

Oh, and I didn't even land on the berry. Figures.

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><p>Yay, Tigerpaw defended Amberpaw! :D But now she's hurt 'cause she didn't want to go to the medicine cat. Boo. :(<p>

Review, please!

~Ponyiowa


	6. Treated

Yeah, I know I'm late. Sorry. :( I was going to put this up before, but my parents didn't let me go on. But here it is! And it's pretty dang long. :D

_**IMPORTANT: You've all heard of SOPA and PIPA, right? Well, if they get their way, then on the 24th will be shut down, and all the fanfics with it! :0 I know it's a bit close to the deadline, but check out this fanfic for more information: .net/s/7753936/1/. We will not allow this wonderful site to be shut down!**_

Bubbletail: Maybe he is, and maybe he's not. ;)

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Smurflover: Well, thank you for the descriptive compliment!

California Rain: Thank you for correcting me on that.

Cherrynose: You _can't_ wait? 0.o

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RandomFalcon: Thank you for reviewing! :D

Mizumaru2312: Thanks for reviewing all the chapters! :D And yeah, Amberpaw's a pretty deep thinker. :P

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Treated<span>

Ravenwing soon comes back with Falconflight and Whispersong dogging her heels. As predicted, Falconflight has a bunch of mice hanging from his jaws. Whispersong is carrying a bundle of herbs in her mouth. She makes a beeline to me and Tigerpaw quickly stands up, retreating to Ravenwing's side. Whispersong doesn't seem to notice.

She drops the herbs at my paws and asks, "Where are you hurt?" It should be obvious from what Ravenwing told her, but I guess that this is a normal procedure to go through.

"My right paw. The front one."

"And when did it start hurting?" she asks, continuing on with the authoritative medicine cat questions.

"Ah, well…um, I sort of landed on it hard when I jumped down from the Hightree. After my apprentice ceremony." It occurs to me that I probably sound very stupid and stubborn. If you get injured, you're supposed to go to the medicine cat. Of course, you can't go running to the medicine cat like a kit every time you get a measly scrape, but you should be careful about your health. A simple bout of coughing could turn into a deadly case of greencough.

Whispersong sighs. "And here I was thinking that Falconflight's such a bad mentor that he gets his apprentice hurt on the very first day."

I look down at my paws guiltily.

"Well, there's no use yelling at you for that mistake," Whispersong says. "Let's take a look at it." She probes my paw with hers, feeling from the top of my leg to all the way down, until when I yelp in pain when she hits the injured part. I hear Tigerpaw shift his paws in an almost nervous kind of way, but I ignore the sound.

Whispersong doesn't. "What are you still doing?" she demands, looking up. "Don't you have some apprentice training to do or whatnot? I'm looking at a patient here!"

I stifle a giggle, thinking that Whispersong is certainly very forward with her words. Maybe that's part of how she helps cure her patients. You can't heal much if you're always moping, and I find Whispersong's way of speaking humorous. It didn't save my mother. But I don't blame Whispersong for it. There's no use holding a grudge, and a medicine cat can only do so much.

"Shoo!" the gray she-cat shouts, and this time I can't stop myself from laughing.

Ravenwing nudges Tigerpaw, telling him that they're going to go scent the borders now, but before they manage to disappear through the evergreens, Tigerpaw mouths to me, "Tell me how it goes." I just manage to nod back before his dark brown tabby pelt disappears through the scratchy pine needles.

The gray medicine cat has already turned her focus back to my paw, the annoyances called "Ravenwing" and "Tigerpaw" seeming to have already vanished from her mind. She pokes and prods a little more, making me wince each time, but finally declares it to be "a sprained paw".

"It's a bit swollen, and you'll need to stay in my den for my few days until it gets stronger," Whispersong says. "You also won't be able to train during those days, so you, Falconflight"—she looks up at said tom—"will be free from mentoring for a few days." The deputy nods.

"What?" I sit up, ready to protest.

"That's what you get when you don't go and tell me right away," Whispersong says in a matter-of-fact tone. "You're lucky you didn't land on it harder, at least. Then you might have broken it."

I shiver at the thought of breaking my leg. That would be horrible, and Cloudpaw, who seems to not like me very much for some reason, would have even more reason to make fun of me while I'm cooped up for who-knows-how-long. And I already have to stay in the medicine cat den for—what, three days?

Harrumph.

Whispersong wraps some cobweb over my paw with rush stalks in it, for a kind of splint. She chews up a slightly dried, yellowish orange flower and then makes me swallow the poultice. "It's marigold for inflammation," she tells me. Whispersong also makes me eat a poppy seed—to ease the pain, of course—and chew for a while on a piece of wood—willow bark, she informs me. If this is the procedure that you have to go through when you get injured, I'm going to try to stay as much uninjured as I possibly can. It's a bit tedious.

When she's done applying the herbs to me, she helps me stand up and lets me lean on her on the way back to the camp. Falconflight trails behind us, the mice still hanging from his mouth.

In the medicine cat den, she points the way to a nest just a few tail-lengths away from hers, tucked up against the wall. I figure it must be a "guest nest", one that patients stay in when they have to recuperate, like me. A quick peek into a sizable hollow in the wall shows me that there are more of them.

I lie down in the nest and curl my tail under my chin, stretching out my right front leg so that the injured paw hangs over the edge of the interlocked ferns and twigs, cushioned by moss. Falconflight lays a mouse at my feet.

"This is for you," he says through the rest of the mice.

"But…I didn't do anything!" I say, though the mouse looks pretty juicy to me.

"You did a good enough job for your first day, and I admit that I should have been watching you better," Falconflight says. "Now, get better soon, or those other apprentices will be better warriors than you."

"Never!" I say.

"Good," my mentor purrs. He wishes me a good night's sleep and pads out of the den.

It takes a few seconds for me to contemplate what he says. _A good night's sleep? _I carefully get to my feet, stepping over my tasty-looking meal, and walk to the outside of the den. Whispersong is busy organizing her herbs in another hollow in the wall, muttering about how I cleaned her out of the marigold in the middle of leafbare, and doesn't notice her patient getting out of her nest.

Outside, there's still a lot of sunlight left. _But, it's not night yet…._ I think. _So how am I supposed to get a good night's sleep?_ I'm too hungry to remain pondering why you should take some things literally and some things not, so I go back to the guest nest and, bite by bite, finish the mouse that Falconflight gave me. It fills me up, and by the time I'm done and washing my face, I feel full and sleepy. The poppy seed must have also have a paw in that, as it's supposed to not only ease pain but also calm a cat in shock, and gently make them go to sleep.

It's something that Brightsky taught all of us. I guess she thought that if we ever wanted to make an annoying cat go away, we could just shovel poppy seeds down their throats until they went to sleep. It was probably something more serious, of course, but I like thinking that way. It's interesting to imagine humorous outcomes. An example would be Cloudpaw getting a mouse tail stuck between her teeth and not knowing it, or having to pick ticks off the elders….  
>I smile contentedly and rest my head on my paw, having hung the injured one over the edge of the nest again. And then I close my eyes and have a good night's sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>Or not quite.<p>

"_Amberpaw_!" someone shouts, loudly. _Very_ loudly.

_Huh?_ I jerk up in my nest, my eyes flying open to frantically search the dim area of the den to find the shouter. And there he is.

"Of course it's you," I groan, laying my head back down on my paws. "Do you _always _have to wake me up like that?"

"What, would you prefer to have me jump up on down in front of you while shouting 'Your morning breath stinks!' until you wake up?"

"If you did that, I would probably slap you so hard that my other paw would get injured and your face would look like a Twoleg's." I close my eyes, fully prepared to ignore whatever lame response he comes up with and go back to sleep.

I hear him come closer. "Well, how do you think my face looks like right now?"

"Don't know," I grunt. "'Cause I'm going back to sleep."

"Ah, come on," Tigerpaw says. "I brought you a mouse. Aren't you going to eat it?"

I reluctantly crack my eyes open to find a mouse's dead beady eyes staring at me, right in my face! It nearly gives me a heart attack, and I back up until my back is pressed against the wall. _"TIGERPAW!"_

"Hey, quiet down there," Whispersong calls. "Shouting is not good for your health or your throat."

Tigerpaw rolls his eyes. "Come on, do you want it or not?"

I gingerly settle myself back down. "Falconflight already gave me one," I say. "Eat it yourself."

"I already had a vole."

"Fine, give it to the elders."

"I already brought them some prey."

"Give it to the queens, then."

"They moved out, remember? After our apprentice ceremony." Tigerpaw gives me a "duh" look. "But I already brought my mother a mouse," he adds as an afterthought.

I huff, annoyed. "Did you remember to feed the leader and the medicine cat, too? I heard Branchstar likes his rabbits stringy." Rabbits sometimes hopped over from the StoneClan territory to ours, and I'd heard that the light brown tabby tom leader had acquired a taste for them.

"Well, there's no one else to give it to!" Tigerpaw says. His tone is getting close to a whine. I guess he thinks Branchstar and Whispersong can get their own fresh-kill. Well, I mean, they _can_, but apprentices do bring the queens and kits and the elders prey to eat. Why not the leader, or the medicine cat, or the deputy? Occasionally, of course, if the medicine cat wasn't feeling too well, or something like that.

"Put it back in the fresh-kill pile," I order.

He gives me a look. "Who would want to eat some prey that someone had their mouth all over?"

I give him a look back. A dumb look for a dumb look. "Well, then why would I want to eat a mouse after you had your mouth all over it, huh? And especially since you shoved it in my face so nicely."

"Well, you eat prey that your mother or father brings you, right?"

"And so you're saying you're my mother." I try to make that come out as sarcastic, but somehow it ends up feeling…awkward.

Tigerpaw doesn't look as if it sounded awkward to him. Instead, an annoyed expression is on his face. "Well, it's the middle of leafbare! You should be glad that you have another mouse to eat, and especially since you have a hurt paw! Why am I arguing with such a stubborn idiot, anyway?" He doesn't pause for an answer, and goes on ranting. "And don't be so worried about if it was in someone's mouth or not! You can wipe it on moss or something! It's really not a big—"

"I'll eat it," I interrupt.

Tigerpaw goes at it for a couple more seconds before he actually understands what I said.

He blinks. "Wait, you'll eat it?"

I answer with an exaggerated nod, and he gives an exaggerated sigh.

Whispersong chooses this moment to cut in. "Remember, yelling isn't good for your health!" she yells from the hollow from which she is _still_—I think—sorting herbs.

_Fail,_ I think.

And suddenly we start laughing. "That's ridiculous," Tigerpaw comments, referring to Whispersong's yelled yelling advice.

"Not as dumb as shouting at someone for not eating a stupid mouse," I retort.

"Ah, shut up," he says, but he's grinning. He lies down next to me and slides the mouse toward me, waiting for me to take the first bite before him. I do, and surprisingly, it doesn't taste that bad for having been in someone's mouth.

I stop chewing. _Actually, it would be a good idea to not think about that too much… _I swallow the bite and take another. Slowly we work our way through the mouse in companionable silence, until Tigerpaw takes one more bite and asks, "So how long do you have to stay in here?"

"About three days," I answer.

"I'll visit you every one of those days," he promises, and I smile.

We're almost done when a dark shape appears in the front of the den. Cloudpaw.

"Tigerpaw!" she shouts. "Why are you still there? Let's go to the apprentices' den already!" She completely ignores me. I feel a small ball of anger growing in my chest.

Tigerpaw swallows. "I better go," he says. He looks down at the almost-finished mouse. "Um, you can have the rest." He stands and joins Cloudpaw at the entrance, only looking back once before following Cloudpaw's quickly vanishing tail.

I look down at the fresh-kill, and suddenly I'm not hungry. I scuff a small hole next to the nest with my uninjured paw and then bury the mouse, scraping dirt over the carcass. Maybe some healing plant will grow there in newleaf, and Whispersong won't gripe about apprentices using up her herbs.

I then drop my head down onto my paws and close my eyes, preparing to go to sleep. But it takes me a very long time. And for some weird reason, I feel empty, as if I never even ate at all.

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><p>Aww, poor Amberpaw. :( And bad Cloudpaw! I admit that Amberpaw's and Tigerpaw's arguing about eating a mouse is a <em>bit<em> exaggerated, but it was humorous, no?

Remember the SOPA and PIPA, guys. :(

And review! :)

~Ponyiowa


	7. Stories

Hello,my dear readers! Yeah, I know I'm late again. Sorry. :( And in case you're wondering/worrying, I _will_ update_ Everything but Nothing_! As soon as I finish writing the darn chapter and my parents let me upload it! There isn't much TigerXAmber in this one, but she gets to learn more about her mother! Oh, and it seems that PIPA and SOPA didn't shut down this site, so hurray! :D

Bubbletail: Yes, she is! But don't worry, Amberpaw's not going to let Cloudpaw faze her! Not too much, anyway.

Galefire: Thank you! :D

Zestia240: Thanks for reviewing! :)

California Rain: Hey! *wounded look* :( Just kidding! But yes, you were right. But I was just reporting what I'd heard, so hah, I got out of it! :P

SakuraFlutist: Aww, thanks! :)

Spottedfire98: I know, right? I think I almost exaggerated it too much, though.

Mizumaru2312: I didn't notice that! Hey Rain, that must be the mistake you lost! :P I'll fix that, thanks.

Stormfeather of IceClan: Thank you! :D And to answer your question, maybe. ;) But either way, Cloudpaw does not like Amberpaw.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 7: Stories<span>

Being injured sucks. And it's boring, too.

I've paced around the floor about a thousand times. I've bounced a moss ball off the wall until it broke into pieces, which I stomped into the floor until even that was gone. I've even tried to help Whispersong organize her herbs, which she politely, but firmly, refused.

And it's only sunhigh. I wonder what state I'll be in by sundown, if no one comes to talk to me. As skeptical as I always am, I'm not counting on Tigerpaw to come visit me. Not after he so willingly followed Cloudpaw into the apprentices' den.

I go back to my nest and lie down, whereupon shortly I flip onto my back and stare up at the ceiling.

And there it is. The ladybug, crawling lazily on the dirt roof with vibrant black spots standing out against a red coat of armor protecting its real, filmy delicate wings. Should ladybugs even be alive in leafbare?

I bat my uninjured paw at it, just for fun. It's way too high to actually reach.

The bug, however, seems aware of my almost possible attack at it and zooms out into the outside. It's free, but I'm cooped up. That gives me an idea.

I stand up and hobble to the herbs hollow, where I can hear Whispersong checking over her supplies to make sure that there's enough herbs to last through leaf-bare. "Hey, Whispersong? Could I please go outside?"

The medicine cat pauses, paw resting on a large leaf with serrated edges. The tip is just beginning to curl up in a dried, brown arc. "No, of course not! You're resting. Need I spell it out?" She waves her paw in the air to enunciate each letter. "R-E- S—"

"Alright, I get it!" I say. Geez, I'm not a kit. I know how to spell "rest". "But please," I whine. "Could I go out? There's not much to do here, and…" I trail off as the gray she-cat tilts her head thoughtfully, looking at me. From what I've encountered with Whispersong so far, it's best not to push her. She seems to be a straight-forward thinker, with no patience for other input.

And right now, she's looking at me slyly. _Very_ slyly. "Well, it _is_ almost time for the elders to get their ticks off…" she begins.

My face falls for a second, and then I remember the interesting tidbit Falconflight told me. Mousetail is my grandmother! Maybe while I'm getting all those ticks off, she'll be able to tell me more about my mother. "Okay!" I agree, quite happily.

Whispersong looks surprised for a moment, and I can't say I blame her. There's not many cats I know who would willingly want to clean the elders of their ticks. At least, not ones who will benefit from it. Then she busies herself scooping mouse bile from a small, leaf cushioned hole in the ground, almost like a well, with another leaf, one that doesn't seem to have any healing ability because if it did, I'm sure Whispersong would hold onto it until it was absolutely needed. She then shuffles the leaf over to me, seeming relieved that _someone_ actually wants to do the tedious job. I guess that even after moons and moons of being a medicine cat, she hasn't gotten used to the acrid smell of the bile. I don't think anyone can, unless their nose fell off or something.

I carefully push the leaf out of the herbs hollow and out into the sun, taking care not to spill. There's a big chance that if it does, a few drops will land on my paws, and Cloudpaw will take great pleasure out that. There's no way in StarClan I'm carrying the leaf in my mouth.

There aren't many cats out; most seem to be outside camp training their apprentices, or hunting or patrolling. I do spot Doveflight, however, just inside the nursery. Doveflight and Brightsky must have moved out by now, as Tigerpaw reported, but maybe Whispersong recruited the white she-cat to clean out the nests as all the other apprentices are out training and Doveflight doesn't seem to have anything to do. Which I didn't, either, a moment ago, but now I do.

Pushing the leaf more hurriedly, I ignore Doveflight's questioning expression and slowly, bit by bit, make my way into the elders' den. Inside, I hear the shifting of paws and the rustling off someone moving in their nest, and then a voice.

"Have you finally come to clean our ticks off? I got one right up on my forepaw."

I recognize the voice as Treefall's. _Of course he would ask that first,_ I think, rolling my eyes. He's always been an impatient cat, even when we kits piled into the den asking for stories. He would yell at us to "BE QUIET!" first before he grudgingly began a tale.

"Yes, I did," I reply patiently. I pad toward the direction of his voice, pushing the leaf full of mouse bile in front of me. It's only then that I realize I forgot the moss. Darn!

"Be right back," I say before I tear out of the elders' den and back into the medicine cat's den, going as well as I can with one sprained paw. Whispersong already is carrying a bundle of fresh moss in her jaws; she must have realized her mistake and was getting ready to bring the moss to me. However, she doesn't look surprised when I rush into her den.

"Here you go," she says cheerfully, dropping the moss in front of her, and then turning back to pawing at the leaves in one storage pile.

I roll my eyes and, picking up the moss, go back to the elders' den.

Treefall is waiting impatiently. "Where'd you go?" he asks tetchily. "One second you were here, and then you just tore off. I still have ticks, you know."

"Treefall, be patient," a voice says out of a corner. I turn and see Mousetail reclining in her nest, her clear green eyes watching me. "I expect she forgot the moss." I nod.

I begin to carefully apply the mouse bile to the tick-inhabited areas, the old brown tom monitoring and instructing my every move. "There, right behind my ear… Yes, that's it! One more sucker gone! Now, there's an annoying itch on my back, that might be one… Ah, that feels better!"

I've almost forgotten that Mousetail's there when she speaks again. "So what are you doing here?" she asks. "Aren't you supposed to be out learning how to be a warrior?"

I look up, surprised. "You know we're all apprentices now?" I say.

Treefall chuckles. "Listen, 'prentice, just 'cause we're old and gray now doesn't mean we're cut off from the rest of the Clan."

I feel my pelt grow hot. "Oh." I apply the bile to a tick clinging to Treefall's underbelly, and watch in quiet satisfaction as the bloodsucking parasite falls off in a pleasingly dead manner.

Mousetail nods in agreement. "Yes, we watched the apprentice ceremony," she says. "I would never miss one, especially since some of the new apprentices were my own grandkits."

So she_ does_ know that we are her grandkits! I mean, of course she would, but she's openly admitting it now. I glance up again to see the old she-cat regarding me with a glimmer in her green eyes. "How come you never told us that you were our grandmother?" I ask, getting straight to the point.

Mousetail shrugs. "Didn't see much point in it," she says. "Most of the younger Clan cats only know me as 'one of the old elders' or 'Fireblaze's mate'. Informing you kits that I was your grandmother would only lead you to bugging me more because I was the mate of one of the most respected warriors in the Clans." She sighs, then continues on. "And so it doesn't really matter at all, and no kits visit me for the single purpose of meeting Fireblaze's mate." I understand her reasoning; I know a certain white apprentice who might do _exactly_ what Mousetail just described. But what about her relatives who don't know? It's not like she's broadcasting it to all the Clans.

"But I would have liked to have known!" I protest.

"And now you do," Mousetail says matter-of-factly.

"But-but if I'd know sooner," I say in a much quieter voice, "I would have asked you about my mother." The den falls silent, and I have the slight awareness that my grandmother is tilting her head, scrutinizing me carefully.

"You know, I really hate to break up a family reunion," Treefall breaks in, "but there's an annoying little bugger on my hind leg. Just finish up the job, have your talk, and let me sleep in peace." I snort with laughter, and, ignoring Treefall's confused expression of _What did I say?_, finish getting all the ticks off.

With the job now done, Treefall curls up in his nest, shuts his eyes, and then turns his back to me—without even a word of thanks. I glare at his back. _Well, you're welcome!_

Mousetail clears her throat, and I sheepishly turn around to look at my grandmother. I gather the now-foul smelling moss and the bile-covered leaf, and push the smelly pile near Mousetail. I carefully begin combing through her fur for ticks, waiting for her to begin talking.

Soon, she does.

"Your mother…was a headstrong cat. What she wanted to do, she would do. I remember the time we wouldn't let her go out of the camp because there was a huge snowstorm. She was an apprentice. Twenty minutes later, she was gone. The snow had by then trapped us in our dens, and the snowflakes would have fallen in her paw prints anyway, so all we could do was wait. She came back two hours later, ice hanging off her nose and pelt half-frozen, but she had two small, scrawny mice in her jaws. And when she laid them at our paws, we—Fireblaze and I—had never been so proud of her." Mousetail sighs again.

"Of course, she was in big trouble. She wasn't allowed to go to the next Gathering—or what would have been the next Gathering, seeing as the snow kept us from going far outside the camp, and I doubt the other Clans managed to get out either. She also had to clean out the elders' den for a month. But she acted like cleaning out the elders' den was exactly how she wanted to spend her free time, with her head held high. She never let anything faze her, not through her entire life." _Except for when she got greencough and died_, I think cynically. But I keep that thought in my head, and keep on listening.

Mousetail looks down at me, a small smile on her mouth.

"You know Doveflight?" she asks.

I nod, my fur inadvertently bristling with the thought of her daughter. I wonder if unfriendliness runs in the family. I haven't gotten the chance to know Doveflight, Breezetail, or Graypaw yet, but they seem pretty nice.

"Well, she and your mother fought like badgers over Birchstep. Like badgers!"

_What?_ Now this was something I hadn't expected to learn. Doveflight—Cloudpaw's mother…and my mother…fighting over Birchstep!

Mousetail coughs, and I sit up straighter, resuming my picking off of ticks. In my surprise, I'd momentarily stopped.

My grandmother goes on. "It amused the entire Clan very much. With the small number of cats we have in a Clan—though the eight apprentices we have now is a number to marvel at—it was possibly the biggest thing that had happened all moon. Doveflight—Dovepaw back then—would try to get Birchstep—then Birchpaw, of course—to sit with her and share freshkill. Your mother, called Blazepaw in that time, would, every single day, try to convince her mentor to do pair-up training with Birchpaw's mentor. It goes without saying that if she succeeded, then she would get to train with Birchpaw. Oh, how Birchstep lapped up the attention.

"But eventually, Blazepelt won. I'm not too sure about the specifics, but I suspect it had something to do with the fact that she had this certain…confidence that made you believe in what she was saying. Everyone could feel it. And Doveflight never forgave her. Now, it seems that she has passed on her dislike to you."

"You…you've noticed?" I ask, not sure whether to feel relief over the fact that Mousetail has noticed and that she seems to be on my side, or doom that the fact is now confirmed.

"As I said, this is a small Clan," Mousetail replies. "And to quote Treefall: 'just 'cause we're old and gray now doesn't mean we're cut off from the rest of the Clan'."

My pelt grows hot in embarrassment, again. "Yes," I say simply.

The elderly orange she-cat eyes me. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

_What am I going to do about it?_ I'm taken back. "Uh…well…nothing," I say. I honestly hadn't thought of having a _rivalry _with Cloudpaw.

Mousetail chuckles. "Believe me when I say, I've noticed how Cloudpaw glares when Tigerpaw looks at you."

_Er…what?_ I think. I say aloud the only thing I can. "Huh?"

"Don't give me that 'huh'," Mousetail snaps, rather fiercely. "I know that no granddaughter of mine will ever be reduced to dumb, one-syllable answers."

"What about Ashpaw?" I ask cheekily.

Mousetail stares at me, and then she begins to laugh. Her laughing is contagious, and I feel like giggling too, except I have a feeling that it will make Mousetail think less of me, so I just manage to hold the chuckles in. I wait for her to stop.

When she finally does, she looks…proud. "Hah, that's what I want to hear!" she crows.

I cock my head to the side, confused, but still continue looking for ticks. I thought I came here to find out more about my mother—and clean the elders of their ticks—not to hear my grandmother praise me on my smart aleck mouth!

Mousetail explains. "That's how your mother was," she says. "Her tongue could rip the fur off of a fox. She had a bold, fiery temper, my kit." Her eyes momentarily lose her focus, and I can literally hear the echoes of her words, and the emotion hidden under it. _My kit…_

Birchstep's not the only one who was heartbroken when Blazepelt died.

My grandmother continues to tell more stories, spinning out tales of when Blazepaw fell into a puddle and for days, would threaten to claw the pelt off of any cat who even came close to talking about the incident. Of when Dovepaw somehow fell into a giant mud puddle during her warrior assessment, and though there was no evidence pointing to her, everyone knew Blazepaw had done it. Of when Blazepelt, as a young warrior, had led a patrol into battle against StoneClan, and saved the then LeafClan leader's life, a she-cat called Lightstar.

When all the ticks are off, I shove the entire disgusting mess of bile-covered moss and leaf far, far away from me. I resolve two things: one, as soon as night falls and I have to leave Mousetail and her stories about my mother, I'm going to wash my paws as through as I can; and two, I'm never volunteering for cleaning the ticks off the elders again—unless, of course, Mousetail tells me stories.

I sit there then, the job done, listening to my grandmother's voice as she tells her tales—an amused tone one second as she recounts when Blazepelt caused an entire avalanche of snow to fall on the deputy and medicine cat—who was Whispersong, an interesting fact—and grave another when she tells about the time my mother almost got caught by a dog. And by the time night falls, and it's finally,_ finally_ time to wash off the mouse bile stink on my paws, I feel like I've known my mother moons, instead of those few precious seconds when she laid her paw on mine and gasped out my name.

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><p>Having a really long chapter means that there can be more room for mistakes, so please tell me if I have any tense changes or anything! Thank you and review! :D (Oh, and the annoying ladybug appeared again! But this time it didn't stay to land on Amberpaw's nose. :P)<p>

~Ponyiowa


	8. Request

Sorry I haven't updated so long! I have had this chapter written for like two weeks, but I've never gotten a chance to put it up. Why? Blame Chicken Smoothie, a new site I've found. (Weird name, but oddly addicting.) And I shall update _Everything but Nothing_ soon, I promise!

Naaargles: Oooh, you changed your name again? Coolio. I shall send you a PM about stuff in your review, as it was a very long review. :)

ScourgeXScarlet: Oh, did you change your name too? :D Yep, I tried to make her sound that way!

Mizumaru3212: Thanks! :)

SakuraFlutist: Thank you! :D

Smurflover: That's fine. I'm very late too. :P

Random Falcon: Why, thank you! :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 8: Request<span>

After I've washed my paws in a small stream just outside the bramble covered entrance of the LeafClan camp, I slowly walk back to the medicine cat den and into my temporary nest, curling up in the bowl-shaped weaving of supple twigs and soft moss, ears still tingling from all of Mousetail's stories. Stories about my mother. I sigh satisfactorily and lower my head onto my uninjured paw, closing my eyes, and think about my day.

When I'd started to grow sleepy and wasn't able to maintain the fact that I wasn't "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" anymore, Mousetail had ordered me back to my nest in the medicine cat den, informing me that she wasn't having my paw heal slower because she kept me up all night telling stories. I'm not quite sure, but I think she thinks that having more sleep will get me back in apprentice duties sooner. It might be true; what do I know? I'm no Whispersong or a wise elder. I'm going to visit Mousetail again once my paw's better and I'm training again, though. Mousetail didn't make me promise to visit her often, but I have a feeling she expects it from me.

I'm almost asleep when there's a sound of soft pawsteps just inside the den and a voice calls out, "Amberpaw? Are you awake?"

I let out an inaudible snort at the question. Obviously the answer's either going to be a grumpy-sounding "_No_, you mousebrain, you woke me up" or snoring. But in this case I just lash my tail softly. I think the message is pretty clear: _Yes, and I'm mad at you._

A sigh, and more pawsteps. "You have every right to be mad at me…" _You bet I do._ "…but I'm really sorry." _Uh-huh._ "I just was out training with my mentor and Cloudpaw's and Cloudpaw." _And that's supposed to make me forgive you how? _"And when I got back I was really tired and I almost forgot…" _Nice excuse. It sure comforts cats when you tell them that you almost "forgot" them. _"But I'm sorry." A pause. "I'm guessing you're not in the mood to hear me talk." _Oh, you think?_

I finally open my eyes, just a slit, to look at him. Tigerpaw's face is sorry-looking and ashamed, his shoulders hunched. So he is, at least, sorry for "almost" forgetting me.

He pads closer. "Please, say something!" he pleads.

I do. "Go away."

But apparently he is incapable of taking orders as well as keeping promises to visit me every day (it's night, it's late, and it doesn't count), because he comes even closer and then settles down next to me, curling up on the cold ground. My eyes widen as I realize that he's planning on spending the night in the den with me. Is this supposed to be some form of apology?

_"Go away." _

"No."

Funny how he chooses to be stubborn just at this time, just when I'm half asleep and when everyone else is supposed to be asleep. I sigh. "At least get yourself a nest. You can drag one from the hollow on the right."

I hear him get up and move towards there, and soon after there's the slithering sound of crackling branches and moss on the ground as he slides the nest next to mine, then steps in.

"Good night," he says cheerfully, sounding quite pleased with himself.

I look at him. "You know you're still not forgiven?"

"Yes," Tigerpaw says. "But I think I can change your mind."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

"And how exactly would you do that?"

"I'm not saying."

I give up. I'm tired, and Tigerpaw seems set on annoying me until I can "forgive" him. "Fine. I forgive you."

"Really?" I'm surprised to hear that he really does seem happy about it, instead of just a triumphant smirk that he's won.

"Really. Now shut up and let me go to sleep before I unforgive you."

"Alright then. Good night." He pauses. "And you know, I really am sorry—"

I cut him off before he can continue, too annoyed to hear his worthless apologies. _"Good night." _

"Okay."

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><p>Cold shafts of sunlight stream into the medicine cat's den as I wake up and blink open sleepy eyes. There's a brief moment of when I enjoy the feeling of slowly stretching out my legs, shaking off my sleep and becoming alert, and then I remember: Tigerpaw is sleeping in the medicine cat den<em>.<em> Right next to me.

I quickly turn to look at Tigerpaw. He's sleeping, with his dark tabby-striped tail tucked neatly under his chin, body coiled up into a ball with one forepaw curling over the edge of the nest. I've never had a chance to truly look at him, close up like this, and I only hesitate a second before studying him.

His dark brown tabby fur looks thick and soft, and, as I find out when I move closer, his ears a subtly tipped with black. The same is true with his tail, with just the black tip of it poking out from under his head. The beginnings of muscle are starting to show up under the ripple of his pelt, and his legs, tidily folded under him, look lean and strong.

Now the only parts I haven't thoroughly studied are his eyes. I remember they are green, but right now they are closed, and he is sleeping, which is the only reason why I've been able to do this so far. I shift closer to him, and the only things stopping me from tipping right into his side are the rims of the two nests.

And then his eyes abruptly open, and I find myself staring into two green orbs. But they aren't really pure green at all, but light green irises flecked with blue, creating a look of two twin pools of water.

Too late, I suddenly realize that my face is _this_ close to his, and back up as fast as I can, tumbling over myself to pretend that I'm sleeping. I close my eyes tightly and wait for Tigerpaw to shout something like "What were you doing right in my face?" But when nothing comes, I cautiously open my eyes a bit, and see him shake his head confusedly, like it's waterlogged, and then turn to me.

"Amberpaw, wake up! It's snowing!"

Snowing? Well, at least he didn't shout my name this time. I open both eyes fully, supposedly "waking up", and get up to observe the snow that he'd said was falling. And fall it does.

Sometime between when Tigerpaw and I had fallen asleep together to before I'd woken up, it had started to snow. I guess I'd just been so busy with…_examining_ Tigerpaw to notice that small specks of white were falling outside.

I take one last look at Tigerpaw to make sure that he isn't looking at me weirdly for staring at him intently when he woke up—which he isn't, thank StarClan—and then pad to the entrance of the nest to watch the snow fall, more close up. Tigerpaw scampers after me and then out into the snow itself. I follow him, kicking up snow at his heels. Fat, fluffy white snowflakes rain from the sky, piling up and up onto the ground and anything that stops them from reaching the ground—trees, bushes, rocks, us. Before long, Tigerpaw's dark tabby coat is frosted with white, and I'm sure that it's the same with mine.

Branchstar is organizing a patrol to go out and find some prey. He decides that Breezetail, Rainsong, Pounceclaw, and Ashfeather should go, along with Falconflight leading the patrol. I don't think we'll get much apprentice training done today, even if we don't have sprained paws.

While I've been thinking and watching the snow fall, Tigerpaw has been busy. I find that out very quickly when he kicks a snowball at me and it explodes into powdery white dust on my face.

_"TIGERPAW!"_

Fuming, I scoop some of the white, almost insubstantial snow into a small pile and then mash it with my paws, trying to turn it into a dense ball. And when I finally succeed in making a medium sized, suitable enough snowball, I look up and find that he's gone. _That annoying_—

I hear a soft pawstep, and spin around just in time to see a slightly black tipped dark brown tail disappear from view, behind a bush. Tigerpaw. I silently roll my snowball onto the ground, creeping up on the bush and the cat behind it. I'm almost there when—

"Got you!" A solid figure bowls into me, knocking me over and onto the ground. I land on my snowball, effectively squashing it. So much for firing a snowball at Tigerpaw. The assailant and I struggle a little bit, each getting the upper paw for a few seconds, then end up pinned underneath. Tigerpaw and I grapple, both trying to end up on top. This inevitably leads to rolling around in the snow, and we wrestle for a few minutes in which I try to kick as much snow as I can into his eyes as payback.

We roll over and over, creating a mini snow flurry. But finally I manage to dig my back claws into the frozen ground as Tigerpaw tries to flip my off, and I am on top. I am celebrating the victory in my mind when it happens again—my heart starts beating faster and his green-blue eyes look so mesmerizing…

"Hey! What are you staring at?" grumbles the owner of the eyes. When I don't answer, he goes on complaining, a sore loser. "You got my back wet with snow!"

I blink, and shake my head, not answering his question. Then Cloudpaw's voice carries over to us—"Tigerpaw, where are you?" and I quickly scramble away from him, Tigerpaw jumping up to a standing position.

Cloudpaw comes around the snow-capped bush that had been obscuring us from her view, and spots Tigerpaw. "There you are!" she says. "I was wondering where you were. Come on, let's go play in the snow with the others."

Tigerpaw looks uneasily between Cloudpaw and me. "Well, I was already playing with Amberpaw…" he begins.

"Oh, _Amberpaw_," Cloudpaw says offhandedly, like she's having a conversation about something she doesn't particularly like—which is technically true. She looks at me and for a second, a small glare flashes in her blue eyes. Then it's gone, and she's pasted a thin smile on her face. "Well…you can join us for the game if you want to, Amberpaw."

With her in it? I don't think so; I got much better things to do to spend my time. "No," I say, lifting my head high and brushing past her and an uncomfortable-looking Tigerpaw. "No thank you."

* * *

><p>Having made my grand exit, I pause for a minute inside the empty nursery to think about what to do next. Playing with my littermates and the other apprentices is obviously out of the question, for having declining Cloudpaw's "invitation" to play. Even if my paw wasn't injured, there's probably not going to be any apprentice-training today since Branchstar has most of the warriors out to find as much prey as they can, in case the snow traps us in the camp, or sends what little prey there is out in leaf-bare scurrying to safety inside their burrows. <em>I could visit Mousetail…<em> I think.

So with that decision, I pad out of the nursery, pausing a moment to be surprised about how much snow had fallen in the short time I'd been in the den, and then pick up two small mice at the fresh-kill pile, leftovers from yesterday—one for Mousetail and one for me.

But when I arrive at the elders' den, I hear snoring. Peeking in, I find both Treefall and Mousetail nestled deep into their warm nests, fast asleep. I certainly don't want to wake them up—as it wouldn't be polite, and because I don't want to get my ear chewed off either about disrespect—so I leave a mouse by each of their nests. There's a slight chance that anyone else might forget to bring fresh-kill for the elders, with all the snow and hunting for prey going around.

I walk back to the fresh-kill pile, and choose a small vole to eat. After I've finished it, I pick up a bird, intending to bring it to Brightsky. Aren't I the goody two-paws apprentice today. In the warriors den, my foster mother purrs at the sight of the bird and licks my head in gratitude. She looks proud for me at the good-natured complaints of the other warriors still in the den, who say that _they_ wish that "some apprentice would bring them some food".

But my prey-distributing, self-volunteered duty is over, I decide, and with nothing else to do, I grudgingly admit to myself that I should have taken Cloudpaw's half-hearted offer to play. I leave Brightsky to her meal and walk in search of the others, planning to say that I decided to play after all.

I haven't yet found them when someone shouts out my name, and I turn. There's Graypaw, looking strangely worried.

"Amberpaw! I'm so glad I found you!"

"…You are?" I'm slightly confused.

"I need your help!" he says. "Cloudpaw's gone missing, and I don't know where she is! I need you to help me find her."

Cloudpaw. He's asking me to help find _Cloudpaw_? I try to wiggle my way out of it. "Just ask Ashpaw, or Tigerpaw. I'm sure they'll help you." I turn to leave, but he blocks my way.

"But I need _you_!" he implores. "You're the most levelheaded cat I know, and I…I think you could be the only one who can find her." His eyes look big and pleading. "Please."

I sigh. Well, it's not like he's asking me to help Cloudpaw become leader. "Levelheaded" isn't the most endearing term you could call a cat, but…I like the sound of it. But I need to get the facts first. "When and where did she vanish?"

"Well, we were playing Tag when Cloudpaw suddenly got this gleam in her eye, and asked who wanted to sneak out of camp with her. It sounded cool—going off alone, with snow falling down around us. But Tigerpaw said no, and we went with his decision. My sister didn't seem too happy about it," Graypaw admits. "I should have watched her until she cooled down, or something. But I didn't. After a bit, Cloudpaw told us she had to do something really quick. We didn't question her—we were too busy with the game. But then she didn't come back, and we checked everywhere. She's nowhere in the camp."

I ponder this. So, it seems like Cloudpaw has gone off on her own, in the snow, alone. We can't find her anywhere in the camp, and the only answer is that she's snuck out into LeafClan territory. Then I realize that it was like what Blazepelt had done: gone off on her own, in the snow, alone. I grit my teeth with a bit of annoyance. I am _not_ letting Cloudpaw follow what my mother had done, even if she didn't know it, without me doing it too. By the time Blazepelt had been discovered to be gone, the snow had sealed the camp entrance. But this time, it wasn't too late to go after Cloudpaw….

I make my decision.

"I'll help you."

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><p>Yay, she's following in her mom's pawsteps! (Kind of.) Leave your thoughts in a review! :D<p>

~Ponyiowa


	9. Bedtime

Hello! Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone and I hope you find a rainbow! :D

SakuraFlutist: I'm almost done with Chapter 18 of_ Everything but Nothing_, so yay! :D

ScourgeXScarlet: Yeah, it was fun writing that. :D

Golden Feather Kid: I've noticed that; I'm going to try to make their (mainly meaning Amberpaw)'s dialogue less formal. Also, I haven't read anything like this story plot e4before, not that I know of. Thank you for reviewing! :D

Smurflover: Aww, thanks! :)

To both California Rain and mizumaru2312: Thanks for catching that error about his ears, I didn't notice that. For the "this close" thing, however, they were meant to be smashed together to show just _how_ close Amberpaw and Tigerpaw were. (I saw this in a book once and thought it would be cool to incorporate it in.) But since it seems that the people who saw it and then noted it in their review, didn't get it, I'll change it. The doc manager does seem to have a habit of putting italicized words and the surrounding words together, though, so that could have been taken as a mistake. Thanks for your critique. :)

Cherrynose: Cool, what's your name on there? :D

Spottedfire98: Thanks! :)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 9: Bedtime<span>

We sneak out of the snow-covered bramble entrance. No one's watching, which is good. Practically all the warriors are outside the camp catching prey for the Clan while the apprentices are entertained by the snow and the elders are tucked away sleeping in their dens. Who wants to sneak out?

Apparently, us.

We pad quietly on the white, powdery ground, the snow hushing the sound of our paws and covering our scent and the falling snowflakes filling in our paw prints until nothing is left. LeafClan's natural thick bushes and tall, clustered trees hide us from view even though their leaves have fallen off. It seems that today, nature is on our side.

Neither of us speak until we're at least twenty fox-lengths away from the entrance. Then Graypaw suddenly stops, and I nearly stagger into him. He's been leading us.

"I think," he proclaims, "that we should go left from here on, and follow the borderline until we get out of LeafClan territory and into Twolegplace. That will keep us on our own territory, and also I think that Cloudpaw would have chosen to explore Twolegplace. She wants to have the most extravagant story to tell when she comes back."

I nod. As her brother, he should know best where she might have gone. I hope he's right, though, about Twolegplace. _I hope we don't get captured by Twolegs,_ I think, and shiver, from both the cold and the thought.

We start up again, padding side by side but keeping a rigid distance. I don't really know Graypaw, and pretty much the only reason why I'm even out here helping him is because I'm a pushover. And also because there's a good chance Cloudpaw will get in danger, and even I don't want that to happen to her.

Graypaw stares straight ahead, focusing his gaze on distant scenery, occasionally blinking hard to keep the snow from clumping on his eyelids. The snow is falling more thickly now, almost like a white thick curtain. By the time our disappearance is discovered, they won't be able to tell where we've gone at all, though they might try to guess.

The silence fills up between us until it's like a weight pressing down on our chests, begging to be broken by a word or two. I'm uncomfortable. Out of the corner of my eye, I observe Graypaw swishing his tail mechanically, jerking it from side to side and just managing to avoid hitting my side with it. So he feels it too. From what I know of him, he's not the most talkative apprentice, but he speaks normally enough. I swallow and wait for him to say something.

Eventually he does. "So…" he begins awkwardly. "You having fun?"

"Oh, yes," I answer. "Trudging through the snow is just my kind of thing." Oops, there's my sarcasm. Goodbye civil conversation.

To my surprise, he laughs. "Huh, I didn't know you could be funny."

"You have no idea."

With that, the uncomfortable feeling seems to clear up a bit, and I relax my shoulders. Graypaw, I notice, is no longer swinging his tail as much. Good.

I clear my throat and try to think of something else to say. _Um…_ "Do you like your mentor?" Who's his mentor again? Oh right, Rainsong.

"Yeah, she's nice. How about you? Is Falconflight up to your standards?"

"He's nice. Well, I only had one training session with him, and then you know, this happened." I lift up my right paw, which is holding up pretty well. "So yeah, I think he's good," I finish.

"Oh, you think?" Graypaw grins, then goes on. "Cloudpaw was pretty mad that she didn't get to be the deputy's apprentice and you did." _Yeah, I think I noticed that. _"She says that you must have bribed Branchstar, or something." He pauses to put an exaggerated expression of skepticism on his face, which makes me laugh. "Which none of us believe, of course."

"That's good," I say. "That's a sure sign that none of you are idiots."

Again, he laughs.

We fall into an easy conversation about various topics, like what our first Gathering will be like, and what our warrior names will be.

"I would like to be called Graypelt," says Graypaw. "Or something mighty. I don't know."

For me, I hadn't even thought of my warrior name. So instead I tell Graypaw what Tigerpaw wants to be: Tigerflame.

He finds this as funny as I did, cracking up laughing. "That sounds like something CreekClan would name their warriors."

The time passes as we converse and walk through the snow, which has finally stopped falling and is up to my ankles. And so I don't notice when Graypaw abruptly stops and tilts his head up to gaze at a row of twinkling lights—not stars, but unnatural, yellow blocks of light seeping through small see-through walls in Twoleg nests. We've arrived at the Twolegplace, and I barely even noticed.

The line of nests continue down for as far as I can see, and probably even more than that. Loud noises and cacophony come from the nests and I can see humans laughing and eating through the transparent squares. A dog barks, and another one quickly answers it. In this place, I feel small and overwhelmed. How can we possibly expect to find Cloudpaw here, let alone find our way back to LeafClan? We'll be lost here forever, or get captured by Twolegs and have to be kittypets, or get eaten by dogs, or—

"Let's scout for the best place to sleep for tonight," Graypaw says, breaking off my building thoughts of horror. "We can look for Cloudpaw tomorrow morning, when we're fresh and ready and there's light."

I shake off the clinging thoughts of what bad things might befall us and nod. "Right."

Night has fallen, and the stars wink at us from their places in the sky. A cold wind picks up, ruffling our fur. Graypaw takes a running leap, and digs his claws into a chain-link fence. He climbs up until he's at the very top. "Come on!" he shouts. I follow him and soon we're clambering down the fence onto the other side. My hind paws touch down and I drop to the ground.

Graypaw is already heading off in a different direction. We pass nest by nest, then decide to climb up into a tree to get a better vantage point. Snow falls from the branches as we scramble up the bare oak.

Up in the tree, it's almost like a whole new world. I've never been up this high, and the view is amazing. The see-through walls shine with bright golden light, and there are so many nests I can't even count them, lined up in tiny rows like how Whispersong might sort her herbs. On my right, the nests start to die out and trees crop up. LeafClan territory. I see Meeting Rock, a prominent boulder that sits just at the edge of LeafClan land. It's an excellent place for an ambush, I realize, and tuck that fact away. Beyond Meeting Rock, there's land that is strange and new to me. In one part, there are practically no trees at all, but instead rocks litter the ground. I can see a large hollow in the area and tiny specks moving around in it. Cats. In another area, there's a wide expanse of river with a camp set up next to it. CreekClan, I would guess.

While I've been marveling at the view, Graypaw has been looking for a place to stay. "Hmm, not there," he mutters. "Perhaps there…? No wait, I see a dog. Maybe we could go—"

Over the sound of his out-loud thinking, there's another voice. I tilt my head and listen harder. There it is again.

"This wondrous creature makes its home in the deserts of—"

It's coming from the see-through square.

I push past Graypaw and walk down the branch until I'm in front of the transparent square, which is halfway open. Inside, a Twoleg queen sits on a rectangular nest with her kit. She has a strange thing on her lap, and keeps looking down at it and then looking back up again to smile at the kit.

"It lives for thousands of years. Its tears can heal wounds. What is it?"

The kit grins in anticipation. I lean forward to hear the rest of the story.

"It is the phoenix." The adult Twoleg holds up the thing that's been resting on her lap, and there, on strange thick leaves, is a picture of a bird! Its beautiful red-orange-yellow wings are spread in flight, and its fiery tail of gold and scarlet trails tongues of flame. The phoenix's beak is open in a silent cry, and its black eyes look full of wisdom and beauty.

The kit claps its front paws in glee, and says, "Mommy, it's pretty."

The Twoleg, Mommy, smiles and answers, "Yes, it is, Leah."

"What are you looking at?" Graypaw has come to sit by me and the branch rocks. I clutch the branch with my claws until it's stopped shaking, then relax.

"Shhh, she's continuing again."

"What in the name of StarClan—"

"Shhh!"

He quiets, and I eagerly fix my eyes upon the Twoleg again. Mommy turns the thing back toward her, and turns the leaf. "The phoenix is immortal. It flies in freedom until it starts to grow old, then retires to its nest. It stays there until eventually, it bursts into flame."

She shows Leah the next picture. It's of a huge ball of flame, consuming the leaf it's on. The only thing that can be seen of the phoenix is one fiery red wing.

"All that is left of the phoenix is ash. But the phoenix is not dead, though it may seem so. For from the ash forms a small egg. This egg lies in the nest, incubated by the fiery warmth that still remains. Then it hatches, and out comes a baby bird. The phoenix." This picture is of a tiny feathery head poking out of the top of a broken egg.

"In this way, the phoenix never dies. It continues to live on, bursting into flame at the end of five hundred years, then hatching again. This is the life cycle of the phoenix, going on for thousands of years. And to this day, it's still alive, though we cannot find or see it. This is the phoenix."

The last picture shows the bird perching on a branch, small flickers of flame surrounding it. It looks out into a clear blue sky, and sand covers the ground below.

The Twoleg closes the book. "The end."

"Read it again, Mommy!" Leah cries. "I want to hear about it again!"

Mommy smiles indulgently at her kit but shakes her head. "Maybe tomorrow, sweetie," she says.

"Okay," Leah says, sinking back into her nest but is clearly disappointed.

The Twoleg kisses Leah on her head and then looks across the room. Graypaw and I quickly back out of sight. "Now, how did that window get open? That must be the draft I'm feeling in here." She crosses the room in easy strides, walking easily on her two legs. Then she lifts up her front paws and pushes down the see-through square—a "window", she called it.

Then the light turns out in the room and the see-through square is dark.

"That was a nice story," Graypaw says.

I nod my head in agreement. I never knew Twolegs could make such wonderful stories! And such beautiful pictures, too.

Graypaw decides to just stay here in the tree. I stay on the current window-level branch, and Graypaw climbs down to the limb below me. Then he curls up and goes to sleep.

I stay awake for a little bit more, thinking. Does it hurt badly when the phoenix goes up in flame? Does it remember its lives from before or does it start out new when it hatches from the egg? Where did it come from?

However, thoughts can't keep me up for long, and soon I'm fast asleep, dreaming of a strange but beautiful bird that soars through the sky with a haunting shrill call, trailing flames in its wake.

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><p>Yeah, so I know humans can't talk to cats and vice versa, but how about the cats understanding the humans at least? Midnight is able to talk to the Clans, though they can't talk with other badgers, foxes, or dogs. Did Midnight teach herself how to talk to cats? I forget. : But since it suits the story, I'm keeping it that way.

In this chapter you see why this story is named _Phoenix_! :D The information I used to create Leah's bedtime story is from my own head, previous books I've read, and a bit of research on the internet. Please tell me if a part of the story is wrong or I've missed a part that you think is important (but keep in mind that there are variations of myths of the phoenix, so it might just be a different story than the ones I used.)

Well, see you, and review! ;)

~Ponyiowa


	10. Finding

Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter. :)

ScourgexScarlet: Well, you'll find out in this chapter!

GoldenFeatherKid: Thank you! :D

Cherrynose: Nah, but someone else that I'll introduce to the story might. ;)

SakuraFlutist: I didn't actually think of that image, but now I do. :)

Smurflover: Thanks!

Spottedfire98: Thank you! :D

Mizumaru2312: Well, as the chapters go on, I hope that your curiosity is more sated. XD

KodochaFan55: Thanks. :)

Naaargles: Thank you! :)

FEIGN: Nope, but as I said to Cherrynose, someone else will. ;)

**I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 10: Finding <span>

_Fire. Heat. Smoke._

_Heavy ash settles in my lungs; I can't breathe. The air is filled with a gray haze and I can't find my way out. And then I see an opening—but as soon as I lay eyes upon it a falling piece of wood crashes onto the floor, closing off the exit. Frantically I look around and see another opening, another hope, another chance for life, but then it, too, is sealed with a burning piece of wood. One by one the possible exits are blocked until I am trapped, trapped, trapped. Flames lick at my paws, waiting for the exact moment to devour me in a blazing inferno. _

_I'm choking on the oxygen-scarce air, the fire eating up everything that it can. I collapse on the ground and fold my legs under me, the only way of pretending that I can defend myself from whatever's happening, that this isn't happening and that I am just resting. But I can't. It doesn't work. I am helpless and weak, smothered in the red and orange and yellow tinged smoke. I am defenseless, without a clue of what I can do to escape this._

_I am going to die._

"Wake up, Amberpaw!" a cheerful voice calls. "It's morning!"

I jerk awake with a gasp, and nearly fall off the branch before I dig my claws in and hold on. As I right myself up, a mouse lands near my paws. I clamp my paw on it to keep the small dead rodent from sliding off the branch also.

"I already went hunting," explains Graypaw through a mouthful of vole. "I woke up way earlier than you did. I didn't want to disturb your sleep, though, since you looked so peaceful."

I nearly choke on my mouse. _Me_? Looking very peaceful in the most terrifying dream I've _ever _had? I decide he must be sleep-deprived, having woken up so "way earlier" than I did, and finish the rest of my mouse in silence.

After our meal, Graypaw and I set off on our quest to look for his sister. He suggested going toward the most clustered area of nests, and I agree, following after him like a dog after his Twoleg master. For every nest we pass, we climb up and look into the window to see if Cloudpaw is there, trapped by the Twolegs. It's a tedious process, and we haven't seen her yet. I would ask a kittypet if I saw one, but we haven't seen any of those either.

We finish combing through all the nests, without a single sign of Cloudpaw or any cats. The Twoleg nests seem to be almost deserted of all animal life except for dogs.

"Perhaps we should try over there," suggests Graypaw hopefully. I nod silently and we head over to the Thunderpath that separates us from the Twoleg nests.

Several monsters roar past, then there is silence. "Go!" Graypaw says, and we charge across the sticky black Thunderpath, hearts thudding in our chests. A red monster, bright as fire, zooms across the road just as we hit the other side.

"Thank StarClan we made it," Graypaw says. I nod again, my heart pounding too loud for me to speak.

"Hey, that was really cool!" a voice calls out.

Graypaw and I look up just in time to see a light brown tabby tom jump down from the top of a fence. He lands awkwardly in a heap, but then gathers his legs and stands up and continues walking toward us without breaking stride, as if he didn't even fall. "You're really brave!" he continues. "You know, I've always wanted to go across the road to see what was on the other side! But my humans won't let me and anyway, it's too scary for me. But you were really cool doing it!"

"…Road?" I ask.

"…Humans?" Graypaw asks.

The talkative kittypet tilts his head for a moment, puzzled, then understanding dawns in his eyes. "Ohhh! You must be those weird cats that live in big groups over there, or somewhere!" He waves his paw in a general direction. "Road is that thing you just crossed, and humans are the creatures who keep me and feed me."

_Weird cats? Oh, that's nice. _

"We're looking for my sister, Cloudpaw," says Graypaw, getting right to the point. "She has a white pelt with blue eyes and is just a little over six moons. Have you seen her?"

The tom looks thoughtful. "Hmm… Why yes, I think I have! Follow me!" He turns tail and leaps up onto the fence, then quickly disappears on the other side.

I blink. _That was fast._

Graypaw climbs up the fence, though not as quickly, and then vanishes from sight. I follow suit.

On the other side, there's a Twoleg nest, ringed with the same fence we just climbed over. The kittypet squeezes in between the nest and the fence, bringing us out into another cluster of Twoleg nests. "I think I saw her over there…" He leads us to a small yellow house with a small rectangular flap at the bottom on the wooden rectangular entrance. "The cat flap," he explains before he goes through.

Graypaw and I look at each other. "Cat flap?" I say, then shake my head. "I'll go first."

Once I'm through, the tabby tom's tail is already disappearing. I dash after him, only to find him disappearing through another cat flap. _How many flaps does this nest have?_

The flap leads to outside, where a pretty white she-cat lounges on a Twoleg contraption, lazily blinking sky-blue eyes. I take one look at her and am disappointed. It's not Cloudpaw.

A female Twoleg is sitting on another contraption next to the kittypet, and she gets up as soon I as burst through the cat flap. The Twoleg doesn't look surprised at the sight of a new cat in her nest, nor when she opens the door and Graypaw darts out from between her legs. "Have fun with your new friends, Sweetums!" she calls, then disappears into the nest.

The light brown tom is waiting eagerly by the white she-cat's side. "Well?" he asks expectantly.

Graypaw shakes his head. "Sorry, she's not her."

"Not _what_?" the she-cat asks in a snooty voice, finally deeming to take a look at the three cats who've barged into their territory. "I'm right here, you know. And I don't even _know _you."

"My sister," says Graypaw, choosing to ignore the rest.

"And what does she look like?"

"Kind of like you, but a bit younger."

The white kittypet sniffs. "Oh, she can't look _that _much like me," she declares. "I bet I have _way_ better fur."

My fur momentarily bushes up. This cat is starting to get on my nerves. _Well, even if you don't look quite the same, you could be twins in personalities._

"Are you _sure_ this isn't your sister?" wheedles the brown tom.

Graypaw's patience finally snaps. "Of course it isn't my sister, you mousebrain! Don't you think I know how my own sister looks like?"

The kittypet's tail immediately droops and he hangs his head. "Oh. Sorry."

Graypaw sighs. "It's alright. I just need to find her…and I'm really worried."

The white she-cat crosses her forepaws, now interested. "You say you're looking for your sister?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's a new she-cat down at the Harrisons' place that fits your description. Came in just yesterday. She says that she wants to go home, but as her being a kittypet, that _is_ her home. I just don't get her. I mean seriously, she's so lucky. The Harrisons have the best toys and food." The pretty white she-cat shakes her head.

Graypaw's eyes light up, and I swear I can see a tiny flicker of hope sparking to life in the air around him. I then realize just how much he was worried for Cloudpaw. It doesn't seem to be like anything I feel for my littermates, which I feel a twinge of guilt at, and I make a promise to myself that when I get home I will spend more time with Ashpaw and Lilacpaw. They are, after all, my family. "Really? Could you please show me the way there?"

The kittypet makes a grudging noise. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do," she sighs haughtily, and clambers gracefully to her paws.

Now the air is nearly abuzz with Graypaw's happiness. "Thank you so much…" He trails off.

"Brigit," the she-cat announces loftily. "And you're welcome."

"And I'm Skipper!" pipes the tom in an extremely cheerful voice.

"I'm Graypaw," says Graypaw. After a moment's silence, he looks at me.

"And I'm Amberpaw," I say reluctantly. I would prefer to keep my name to myself, but politeness demands otherwise, it seems. Though Brigit and Skipper seem like nice enough cats, I would just like to find Cloudpaw and get us all home safely.

Skipper bounces up and down. "Let's go, let's go!"

But Brigit is already squeezing through a hole where the fence meets a hollow in the ground. She stands up and then sticks her head back in. "What are you waiting for? Come on already!"

Skipper, Graypaw, and I follow suit.

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><p>Brigit leads us down a Twoleg path for about three minutes. Skipper spends the entire time chirping about how exciting this is and about how this'll be a story he tells to his grandkits, about how one day he met two Clan cats and helped them on an adventure.<p>

_If anyone actually likes you enough to put up with you,_ I think uncharitably. Immediately I feel mean and am glad that no one is able to read my thoughts. _But if he would just shut up for a second! _I would clamp my paws over my ears if I didn't need all four of them to keep moving forward.

But unluckily for my ears, Skipper keeps on talking all the way while Brigit turns down an alley. I idly wonder if he has any friends, or if he has scared them all away with his chattiness. Finally he stops talking when we step out of the alley and into the bright leafbare sun. The reason why is clear: there, sitting as clear as day, is a large, large nest._ Very_ large.

Brigit turns and stops. "See what I mean?" she whines. "Your sister's so lucky!"

I groan inside my head. The only reason Cloudpaw isn't living it up in that nest right now is most likely that she's scared out of her mind.

"Let's get closer." And without any more preamble, Graypaw leaps out onto the Thunderpath and crosses it in a moment. A monster zooms by just as he touches down on the other side. He's lucky that it didn't run him over.

Skipper, however, looks awestruck. "That was so cool!" His mouth is open, and if it drops any lower a monster could drive into it. "I wish I could do that!"

"You will," says Brigit matter-of-factly. "Go." She nudges Skipper onto the wide pathway before he can protest. The brown kittypet looks around wildly for a moment, then quickly takes off, galumphing to a hurried stop on the other side of the Thunderpath, just in time to take away a blue monster's chance to make a pancake out of him.

"I'll go next," I say, and cross the Thunderpath easily. Brigit comes next, without any troubles, and then we're all looking up at the humongous white nest.

Graypaw is already looking for a way in. I can tell by the manner he tilts his head and narrows his green eyes. But Brigit is frowning.

"No cat flap," she says, unintentionally sealing off another possibility for Graypaw. "That part they're not civilized in. I mean, seriously! A cat's got to go where a cat wants to go. But your sister still is pretty lucky…"

Graypaw looks crestfallen. Then, "Windows, windows…" he mutters, and I remember the new word that we learned last night. _Window equals: see through square. Phoenix equals: eternal life. Amberpaw equals: new, horrifying, fiery dreams…_

I shake my head to clear the thoughts.

"Windows!" exclaims Graypaw, and Brigit starts to look as if she regrets coming with us.

"Excuse me?"

"We can check to see if the windows are open!" And he scampers off around the house, apparently having already checked the two front see-through squares. Brigit and Skipper follow him, but I stay there, waiting for one more moment.

And there she is. Suddenly a pink nose presses against the window, a paw claws at the unforgiving surface, a scared blue eye and then two peer out of the see-through square.

_Cloudpaw._

She notices me with a slow manner of surprise, head tilted as if she doesn't believe what she's seeing. Her forehead furrows, as if finding it hard to accept that I'm the one who came to find her. Then she mouths, _Where's Graypaw?_

This question hits me like a sack of stones; a realization comes to mind. Cloudpaw had believed that her brother would come for her. And he had. I wonder if my littermates count on me the same way that Cloudpaw counted on her brother, and I don't trust myself to answer. _I need to strengthen my bonds with the cats around me. Lilacpaw and Ashpaw are nearly strangers to me._ _Even if my father won't, I will learn to love my littermates. _

_Around the corner of this nest, near the back,_ I mouth back. _Do you want me to get him? _

Cloudpaw shakes her head, and her eyes are wide with fear. _There are dogs in the back._

I twist to the right just in time to see Brigit, Graypaw, and Skipper tear out into the open with monstrous, snarling animals at their heels.

_Dogs!_

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><p>Oooh, Amberpaw had a nightmare. Review, please! ;)<p>

~Ponyiowa_  
><em>


	11. Escape

Sorry for not updating earlier, but as you may have heard, my dad turned off the internet for three weeks so I couldn't update. It was terrible. :( But here's Chapter 11, and I hope you guys enjoy! Oh, and this is the longest chapter I've written so far: three thousand words. Oh, yeah.

Frostbliss: Here's the chapter! ;)

A Very Scary Princess Berry: Thank you! And I love your pen name.

Smurflover: Thanks. :)

Stormfeather of IceClan: Here it is! I hope that it meets your expectations. :D

SakuraFlutist: Yes, suspense indeed!

Mochikins: Yeah, basically.

Mizumaru2312: No errors? Yay! :D And sorry, but Cloudpaw is going to remain alive. :P

Honeyshade: It's nice to get a new reader! :D And yeah, I did sorta rush that part. I wonder if I'll be able to put in something about him in the coming chapters, though... *muses*

Rockbelly1234: Thanks! :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 11: Escape<span>

Graypaw immediately makes for a tree while Skipper burrows into a tiny hole under the large nest's porch. Brigit looks wildly from side to side before finally squeezing into the space with Skipper. I can just barely hear her telling him to move and to quit whining or otherwise the dogs will find them. And I—I take a running leap and scale the nest, clawing my way up the wooden columns surrounding the mainframe of the nest, and heave myself up onto the top.

From here, like in the tree, I can watch the dogs stop and look bewilderedly from side to side, wondering where their prey has escaped to. There are two of them, massive animals with pitch-black pelts and legs as thick as tree trunks and slathering, foaming jaws that hide vicious sharp white teeth.

I shiver and hope they won't be able to get up here.

One of the dogs lifts its head and sniffs suspiciously at the air with its wet black nose. The other one is already nosing toward Brigit and Skipper's hiding place, and if I creep just a bit more toward the edge of the roof and tilt my head downward, I can hear Brigit telling Skipper to shut up or else and that his sniveling won't stop the dog from coming closer.

The black beast shoves its muzzle into the ragged hole, and now Brigit is telling Skipper to _please_ be quiet or the dog will eat his face off. As expected, it doesn't help much, and now the brown tom's wails of fear can be heard quite clearly.

There's a sudden harsh hiss, and the dog removes its face from the hole, ears laid back and a loud whining sound coming from its throat, several scratches marring the soft flesh of its nose. "Take that, mousebrain!" Brigit jeers. But her mocking abruptly comes to an end when the second dog joins its companion and, after tilting its head curiously and sniffing at the hole, begins to paw at the splintered wood. After a second, the first dog follows its comrade in scratching at the hole, and together the two beasts focus on breaking down the obstacle in their way to get to the soft, delicious reward beyond.

I have to do something. But what?

Graypaw catches my eye, settled safely in his position high up in a tree, level to the top of the nest I'm standing on. He's frowning and tilting his head downward, but I don't understand. What is he trying to say?

A whisper comes from below me, to my right, calling my name. I tiptoe cautiously to the edge of the roof and peer down. And there is Cloudpaw, balancing precariously out of an open see-through square. "Amberpaw!" she whispers again. "Help me up." I eye her carefully for a moment and then grasp her ruff and pull her up to the roof.

"Thanks," says Cloudpaw gratefully, making me start with surprise. I'm pretty sure she's only being polite as we're rescuing her, but I'd never expected the words "Thank you" to come out of her mouth—at least, not to me.

I look up to see Graypaw nodding satisfactorily, and then he points with a paw to below him. He's indicating a branch.

I follow the branch with my eyes and see that it ends just a few mouse-lengths to the edge of the roof, to my right. One more look up, and I see Graypaw nodding vehemently and pointing to the branch over and over again, quite, well, pointedly.

"I think we're supposed to climb the branch to Graypaw's tree," I inform Cloudpaw, and she nods. The branch tapers off to a thin point, but it should be easy to jump and latch onto.

"I'll go first," says Cloudpaw. She backs off a few pawsteps, and then takes a running leap and lands gracefully on the middle of the branch. It wobbles a few seconds but takes her weight. She then continues on carefully down the bough, and soon meets her elated brother at the end of the limb.

Then the two united siblings look up at me, and it's my turn.

I take a couple steps back just like Cloudpaw, then begin running. At the edge of the roof, I jump off but tangle in my own front legs somehow, not giving my back legs enough leverage. I manage to just catch the end of the branch, but it's small and flimsy and snaps off, leaving me to clutch empty air.

Graypaw's mouth opens into a silent horrified oval, but I am already falling.

I land with a thump on the ground, four legs coming to earth with a solid thud, and my paws sting from the cold puffs of snow shooting up into the air around me. I am alive. But a sharp pain is shooting up my right front leg, and with a sick feeling I realize that it's the one I hurt earlier, the one I was supposed to stay inside the medicine cat's den to recuperate for, the one that is now incapable of escaping from the dogs or running or even walking.

And of course, now the dogs abandon their digging and lift their heads with accompanying clinks from the metal chains around their throats. One of them scans the area, its cold black eyes flickering from side to side until they fasten onto me. The beast lets out a sharp bark to its companion, and they begin to lope in easy, lazy strides toward their new victim.

Cloudpaw and Graypaw descend silently onto the snowy ground and Skipper and Brigit emerge from their hiding place, now that the dogs have found a distraction. They scamper toward the siblings to huddle, frightened, behind them, kits behind their Clan leader.

Graypaw starts toward the dogs, seeming to have a plan in mind. But Cloudpaw catches his tail in her teeth and halts him in his steps. He turns toward her with a questioning look, and she gives him one in return that says _Are you mouse-brained or what_?

The dogs are closer now, drool sliding off their hanging jowls and wagging their tails at the sure prospect of a tasty meal. I back up, keeping my injured paw from the ground as far as possible. I glance up at another tree, just a few fox-lengths from my tail, and wonder if I can manage a climb up there.

One moment of my injured paw on the ground says otherwise, and I hiss in pain.

Graypaw is asking Cloudpaw something, and she answers with a flurry of shakes with her head—_No, no, no_, to whatever he asked. The gray tom gives her a pointed look, and she shrugs. For a second, he looks at me, and I silently ask a question with my eyes. _What are you waiting for?_

He looks pained and turns back toward his sister, exchanging another set of pointed looks and inaudible words. What in the name of StarClan are they talking about? The dogs are creeping ever closer, and I can smell the stink of their breath.

Graypaw finally lashes his tail for frustration and turns back toward the dogs. _Can you walk_? he mouths to me.

I lift my right paw. _No._

His jaw clenches and I have the feeling that I just made his plans more complicated. _Can you fight?_

_I can try._

Cloudpaw says something to Graypaw that looks suspiciously like _I told you_. And all the while, the dogs are getting dangerously closer. They're taking their time, sure of their success.

_Can you try to come toward us_? asks Graypaw.

I hobble a step forward, but that only puts me closer yet to the black beasts. _Not fast enough. _

He suddenly lets out a snarl and leaps at the dogs, clawing at their backs. He hangs on for dear life as his mount bucks and howls, attempting to throw him off. Surprisingly, Skipper and Brigit join him in his attack, latching onto the other dog's back with hisses of outrage. Cloudpaw circles closer and then farther away from the dogs' muzzles, tempting them with a new meal.

They're almost far enough away for me to make a break for it when the dog with Graypaw clinging to its back snaps at Brigit and she slips off, red now dotting her white hind paw. She takes off for safety, dashing frantically through the snow, and Skipper follows. With no cats hindering it now, the second black dog is free to snap more viciously at Cloudpaw, and she backs off hurriedly, leaving Graypaw alone on the first dog's back. He stays on for one more second before jumping off to Cloudpaw's side on the ground.

The dogs nip at them a few more times before turning back to the easier meal at hand. This time, they're not patient, and close the distance between us in a few easy strides. Just as the first one reaches me, I duck between its paws and limp as fast as I can toward Graypaw, who rears on his hind legs and prepares to give the beasts a good scratching. Cloudpaw shakes her head and snorts. "I thought you were supposed to rescue me, not yourselves," she says derogatorily, but I can see that she's only saying that to cover up her worry. Three new apprentices, one with a hurt paw, and two kittypets who are StarClan-knows-where, against two massive dogs, aren't exactly equally matched in a face-off.

Angry at having missed their quarry yet again, the two large canines turn around and advance toward us with low growls emanating from their throats. If part of their goal is to frighten their prey before they kill them, they're succeeding. They're almost upon us when a Twoleg suddenly flings open the nest entrance and begins to shout at them, stopping the beasts in their tracks. Shamed whines fill the air.

"Not again!" rages the male Twoleg. "I swear, if I have to pay another three hundred bucks to stitch up some poor neighbor's cat, I'll send you to the pound! Now come here!"

The two dogs turn away from us and begin to slink toward their master, heads dropped in submission and tails drooping. It's almost comical to see the sudden change in them. The Twoleg holds the entrance-way open for them, and as they skulk into the nest, he gives a hefty kick to each of their flanks, prompting high-pitched howls of pain.

Once they're inside the nest, he gives us an angry look. "What are ya looking at?" he bellows. "Scat!" We run behind the tree, and for a moment, he glares at the spot where we were. "Stupid cats," he mutters, and then he too, disappears into the nest.

We are silent for a few seconds more before Cloudpaw lets out a relieved sound. "Finally," she says. "For a second, I thought that they would really get us." Once again, I am surprised—she's being unusually open. But Graypaw nods. "That was a close one," he agrees. Then he looks at me. "How is your paw?"

"I'm unable to walk on it," I answer. Even now, vines of pain are twisting up and down my leg, and I can tell that Whispersong is going to have her work cut out for her.

Cloudpaw tilts her head. "It looks weird," she comments. A grim expression settles onto Graypaw's face, and I look down to stare at my paw, which is swollen and red-hot with pain. _Oh, StarClan._

There is an uncomfortable silence, and then Graypaw says, "Let's go home." Cloudpaw and I nod, and we leave the cover of the snowy-capped branches and walk out into the open. We only get a few steps out before Skipper and Brigit are in front us.

"I'm so glad they're gone!" Skipper exclaims. "They were so scary," he adds, stating the obvious.

"Well, I'm just glad that they didn't bite hard enough to leave a mark," sniffs Brigit. Her hind paw is now speckled with little flecks of dried blood, but it's holding her weight and her Twolegs will surely take her to get it healed if they think the wound's serious enough. On our way to the large nest, along with yapping about what a great adventure this was, Skipper had also informed us about the great joys and benefits of living with Twolegs. Personally, I had thought that the great joys and benefits of living with Twolegs were for little kits who couldn't fend for themselves at all, but everyone has different opinions.

Cloudpaw now stares at the white kittypet. "Who are you?" she asks with just a bit of hostility tingeing her tone.

Brigit stares back. "Um…your admirable hero?" she replies in a lofty tone, and I drop my head and groan, waiting for the snobby she-cat face-off that will surely commence. As embarrassing enough as it is for Cloudpaw to be rescued by her brother and her not-friend, it must be damaging to her pride to be rescued by two kittypets in addition.

Sure enough, a glare appears on Cloudpaw's face. "I'm sure you didn't help much," she accuses—undermining Brigit's and Skipper's amount of assistance.

"Nuh-uh!" Skipper pipes up helpfully. "I found Graypaw and Amberpaw in the first place, and then I led them to Brigit, who helped us get to your nest, and then we all helped you get out!"

Cloudpaw turns her glare to Skipper, and the brown kittypet cringes under the force of her look. "So…um, yeah, we helped," he finishes weakly.

"Fine," Cloudpaw sighs. "Thank you." Brigit nods smugly with a haughty "Why, you're _welcome_" and a full-blown grin stretches across Skipper's face. I can tell he's about to launch into a medley of exclamations about how cool this is, when a Twoleg voice calls out.

"Sweetums? Brigit? Where are you, darling?" It's Brigit's female Twoleg.

Brigit stretches lazily, fluffing up her white soft fur. "Well, I guess it's time for me to get going," she drawls. "It's been nice knowing you." She turns to trot away, but Skipper follows her. "I'll come too! I don't have to go back yet!"

"Bye!" Graypaw calls. "Thanks for your help!" I echo his words, but the two kittypets are too busy arguing.

"But I _want_ to come!"

"Don't you have your own housefolk?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to go home yet! I like your nest better!"

"Fine, you can come, but if my Twoleg kicks you out, I'm not helping you get back in. And you have to promise not to talk all the time."

"Great! Okay, I promise on the life of my food pellets that I will not talk too much. I promise on the life of my playthings that I will not talk too much. I promise on the life of my—"

"Food pellets and playthings aren't _alive_, you dummy!"

"And I promise on the life of my Twolegs that I won't talk too much and on the life of my—"

"_SHUT UP already_!"

"Okay."

They disappear into the distance, and we're left alone.

"Well," Cloudpaw says after a moment. "Let's go, then." She sets off, then stops when she realizes she has no idea how to get back. Graypaw comes to her side and bumps her playfully, then grows a bit more serious. "I think we came from there," he says, nodding at the Thunderpath.

I must admit, it's amusing to see Cloudpaw's mouth fall open as she ogles the wide path and the Firemonsters. It's truly a welcome and not-often seen sight.

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><p>We finally reach the woods in which Graypaw and I crossed to get to Twolegplace. It's night, and snow is falling once more, and it helpfully numbs my hurt paw—in addition with my entire body. I shiver and silently ask StarClan to help us find our camp quickly.<p>

After a while, I begin to think about the phoenix again. It was a strange but wonderful story that the Twoleg Mommy told, and I wonder if there are any more creatures like it. And then there is my dream—or a nightmare, more like. For a moment, I can almost feel the flames licking my fur, and it strangely feels good. Then I shake my head and coolness settles over my flanks—literally. The snow is falling harder and harder now.

"Graypaw? Cloudpaw?" I call out. "Do you think we're close to the camp?" But no reply comes, and with a sinking pit in my belly I realize that I can't see their gray and white pelts anymore.

I blink away the snowflakes falling into my eyes and squint into the hazy white distance. "Graypaw? Cloudpaw?" I raise my voice. "Where are you?" I limp forward a few more steps, almost expecting Cloudpaw to jump out from behind a snow-capped rock with a, "You mousebrain, we're right here!" But there's nothing except for the harsh whistling of the wind and my own labored breathing and the overall steady, unforgiving sound of solitude.

Panic rises up into my throat as heavy as the snow falling around me. I try to quell the rising fear, but it's hard. I've never been outside the LeafClan camp except for today and when Falconflight took me out after my apprentice ceremony. I'm completely lost.

_Which way do I go which way do I go which way do I go_—

Suddenly there's a sharp screech, like the call of a bird, and I can see around for miles and miles, like I'm flying in the clouds and looking down. In fact, I _am_, swooping and diving through the air with an uplifting weightless feeling. I'm not cold at all, and the snow cannot touch me. I feel safe and warm.

Used to this feeling now, I bend down and spot a camp nestled on the ground surrounded by snow. I get the feeling that I've found what I've been looking for, and touch down. Then abruptly, the warmth stops, and I'm cold once more and there's pain spiraling up my leg.

I look down to see melted slush all around my paws, running a clear trail to a place where I can't see. Strangely enough, a single fire-red feather is floating to the ground. Confused, I follow the path slowly and haggardly, my now unfrozen paw hindering me. As I continue on, I begin to hear cats talking with one certain, recognizable voice rising above all.

"What do you _mean_ you don't know where she is? You said she was_ right_ behind you!"

"She was!"

Another voice. "Well, we can go and find her tomorrow, I guess. One more night out won't hurt her."

I walk faster, eager to get to wherever the voices are. I trudge through the slush and around a tree, to see the LeafClan camp! Joy fills my chest at the familiar sight. I duck through the hanging bramble entrance to LeafClan, where strangely enough, the path of melted snow ends and only a few patches of non-melted snow adorn the floor of the bramble tunnel.

"No! I'm going to go find her right now."

"Tigerpaw, you know that's—"

The voices abruptly stop when I emerge from the bramble entrance. Both surprised and relieved faces look up at me. And then a dark brown blur rushes toward me and knocks me down. A furious voice sounds in my ears.

"_WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN_?"

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><p>Who can guess who the brown blur is? If you can, you get an extremely fluffy Tigerpaw plushie! :3 And review, please. I think three thousand words should at least count for <em>something<em>. ;)

~Ponyiowa


	12. Puzzlement

I'm back! *waves awkwardly*

Smurflover: Aww, thanks!

SakuraFlutist: Thank you, SakuraFlutist! :)

RandomFalcon: It's okay. Yes, Brigit and Skipper were amusing, weren't they?

Mewlover1573: In spirit, technically. I'm still trying to figure it out myself...

Mizumaru2312: Sadly, she has to. /Sadface. But yes, Tigerpaw happens to be! *hands plushie* There you go!

Mochikins: Yus, you are starting to lag. ;_; And Chapter 20 of EBN is still bereft of a certain review from a certain person... *hint hint nudge nudge cough cough* I might bring them Skipper and Brigit back, sometime; you guys seem to like them. :)

Honeyshade: Thank you! :)

Wonder Cookie: Spiritually, yes.

Summer Shadows: Yes, yes you do. *shoves fluffy Tigerpaw plushie into Summer Shadows's arms* Enjoy. :3

**Disclaimer: Tired. Of. Doing. This. Therefore, this last disclaimer shall be the last one for Phoenix and this one shall also be a disclaimer for all other chapters. I do not own Warriors.**

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><p><span>Chapter 12: Silence<span>

I stare up into familiar green-blue eyes. "…Tigerpaw?" is the only thing I manage to get out after fumbling for a reply for a few awkward moments.

"You've been missing for almost _two_ days!" he roars, not bothering to reply to my question. Honestly, two days doesn't sound so bad to me.

"So have Graypaw and Cloudpaw," I point out as intelligibly as I can. It's sort of hard to talk when you have a very furious apprentice looming over you, even if he's the same size and age as you.

Tigerpaw frowns. "But you…you…" he starts, trying to get past my logic. I stare up at him as innocently as I can. In his frustration, he stomps his paws immaturely, which I would laugh at if, in the act, he hadn't bumped my injured foot. I can't stop myself from releasing a loud, "_Ow_!"

Tigerpaw stops shuffling his paws immediately. He moves out from above me, and I'm finally able to turn over onto my stomach just in time to face Tigerpaw as he crouches down, staring at my swollen paw. "Amberpaw, what's this?"

"I…I hurt it. Again."

"It's so swollen! Whispersong, get over here!" he shouts before turning back to me with wide eyes. Now he's able to finish his previous sentence, as I've given him something to yell about. "Amberpaw, you hurt your paw!" But strangely, instead of anger in his eyes, like there was before, there's… fear, and…concern?

"I can walk!" I protest. I stagger to my feet and take a wobbly step, nearly falling but catching myself just at the last second. "See?"

Whispersong finally arrives, looking annoyed. "Again? Come on, we're getting you into a nest." She nudges me gently inside the medicine cat den, Tigerpaw trailing behind us like a worried shadow.

I settle into the nest I slept in before; it still has my scent clinging to it. Tigerpaw sits and watches stonily as Whispersong prods my paw carefully.

"Definitely sprained," she mutters. "Broken?" She feels the injured leg slowly, and then nods. "Nearly." A look of something near to anxiety appears on Tigerpaw's face. "You'll have to stay in here for at least a quartermoon." She looks up, frowning. "Okay? No running off to rescue other apprentices, now. If you keep this up, Branchstar will have to postpone your warrior ceremony."

I gulp. Not becoming a warrior? That's horrible. "I'll stay here," I promise.

Whispersong nods, satisfied. "Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find more herbs for my store." She exits the den, calling for Swallowpaw. Tigerpaw settles silently beside me in another nest, but Whispersong turns around anyway. "What are you doing? Go out and catch some prey or something!"

Tigerpaw swallows visibly, seeming to not want to get up but hesitant to disobey the medicine cat. "I…I don't know where Ravenwing is."

But as if on cue, the black she-cat appears at the entrance of the den. "Come on, apprentice. We need to get some prey for the food-pile before night completely falls." She gives me an exasperated look. "We lost enough prey for the past couple days when he was moping around because he didn't know where you'd gone."

I shoot a surprised glance at Tigerpaw, my pelt feeling like how it looks—on fire. Is Ravenwing telling the truth?

But Tigerpaw is already getting up, his back to me so that I can't see his face. For a fleeting second, I wonder if I really do want him to turn around so I can see what he's feeling, but he's already slinking toward the den entrance. Without even a backward glance, the dark brown apprentice follows Ravenwing out of the medicine cat den and out of sight.

I sigh heavily, sinking my head wearily onto the brim of the nest. Within a few quick moments, I fall asleep, tired by the whole ordeal.

But again, my sleep is disturbed by the sound of Whispersong shouting in disbelief.

I blink open sleepy eyes, only to open them wide at the sight of Tigerpaw stumbling in, looking as if he's been dragged through a rosebush. Thorns stick out every which way in his dark brown tabby-striped pelt, and dirt streaks down his back, brown against brown. His fur is ruffled and unkempt, dusted with melting snow. If Brightsky could see him, she would have been shocked.

"What. Have. You. Done?"shrills Whispersong accusatorily, her fur still ruffled from surprise.

Tigerpaw shrugs, looking to the side. "…Fell off a cliff," he mutters.

For once in the six moons I've known her, Whispersong is dead silent.

And then Ravenwing rushes in, breaking the silence. "I don't know what happened, Whispersong. I turned around for one second—and then my apprentice goes tumbling down the cliff!" She breaks her rant to look at Tigerpaw disapprovingly. "Didn't Brightsky ever tell you to stay away from the cliff edge?" Tigerpaw shrugs in answer, and Ravenwing goes on. "Thank StarClan; he fell down the least steep side, so he wasn't hurt much. But look at him! How do you just fall off a cliff?"

"There, there," Whispersong reassures the agitated mentor. She touches Ravenwing lightly on the shoulder.

"Oakpelt didn't ever have to deal with this when he was a mentor," the black she-cat says quietly under her breath. "Pounceclaw worshiped him from the start." Somehow, Ravenwing's disbelief at her apprentice falling off the cliff has turned to grief for Oakpelt. I can see that she's still not over her lost mate—and who would be, in so short a time? But this, I remind myself, is _because_ she had a mate. That is what I will never have. And I don't mind much, anyway—seeing Birchstep skulking around camp is enough motivation.

"Here, I'll escort you to the warrior den," Whispersong says softly, gently guiding Ravenwing out of the medicine cat den. As they leave, Whispersong looks back to shoot a bemused glance at Tigerpaw. "Do yourself a favor and go lie down in that nest. I'll be back soon to help remove all those thorns out of your fur."

Tigerpaw pads softly to the nest he occupied that night two sunrises ago and sinks silently into it. Slowly, he begins to pull the thorns out of his fur with small _Ouches_ as they come out. At first, I don't dare to look at him directly, but instead watch him out of the corner of my eye—but when he finishes getting all the thorns off of his legs, flanks, and chest, and tries to pluck out all the thorns on his back in vain, twisting his head as far as it can go like an owl, I can't help it.

I laugh.

He stops to look at me with a slightly incensed expression in his eyes. "Help?"

I lean over and carefully grasp a thorn in my teeth, pulling it off and tossing it to the side. Tigerpaw remains still as I pick out the little green spikes stuck in his fur, but when Whispersong comes back, he starts, surprised. I spit out the thorn I have just removed and pretend to be asleep in my nest, but keep my eyes open in tiny slits.

Whispersong sighs as she begins plucking out the rest of the thorns with her claws. "How do you manage to fall off a cliff, anyway?" she murmurs under her breath. It must be a rhetorical question, because the next second, she follows it with, "Got anything broken? Ravenwing says you took quite a fall."

Wordlessly, Tigerpaw shakes his head.

"Tired, are you?" Another rhetorical question. Whispersong finishes pulling out all the thorns, gathering them onto a little leaf. When Tigerpaw looks at her questioningly, she says, "In case I need to close a wound or something." She then picks them up and heads for her own nest in another hollow. "Avoid falling off a cliff next time," she suggests through her burden. "Follow Amberpaw and sprain your paw or something." With that, she disappears out of sight.

I wait a few seconds before asking, "Falling down the cliff side? Really?" Ever since we've been kits, Brightsky has always been telling us to not go near the cliff. She's practically drilled it into our heads that going near the cliff is Bad, Dangerous, and Not Good. Her reaction when she finds out that Tigerpaw tumbled down the cliff side will be interesting to watch.

Tigerpaw shrugs, not bothering to look at me. "I…slipped," he mumbles.

This idea of slipping is so outrageous that I nearly laugh again. "You can't slip if you're not near the cliff edge," I point out. "Where was Ravenwing during this? Surely she would have kept you away from the edge?"

"She wasn't there," Tigerpaw says. "I…I got lost."

I narrow my eyes, suspicious. "Really?" For all the moons I've known him, Tigerpaw doesn't seem to be the sort of cat who would get separated from his mentor and fall off a cliff. To use a CreekClan term, something's fishy about this tale.

He suddenly turns his back to me with such a sudden motion that his nest nearly tips over. "I just want to get to sleep, alright? You can interrogate me tomorrow," he snaps, swishing his black-tipped tail vehemently. "Is that fine with you?"

His sudden outburst surprises me, but nothing shocks me more than the venom in his voice. I've...he's never talked to me in this way before, short and curt and full of anger. Hurt fills my heart and trickles down to sink at the bottom of my stomach. I have to struggle to keep my voice from cracking when I answer him next. "F-fine."

Tigerpaw doesn't deign to answer; merely adjusts his position in his nest just the tiniest bit. I stare at his back blankly, knowing that he can't see me glaring at him through a haze of shaken misery. _Why is he so mad at me? What did I do?_ He isn't asleep; I can see that by the rigidness of his shoulders and the rhythm of his breathing. So he's ignoring me on purpose, for something that I don't even know. Is it because Graypaw and I didn't include him when we went off to search for Cloudpaw? If so, he should be mad at him too—but I didn't see him snapping at Graypaw because of that. A small seed of anger sows itself in my chest. _Fine. Have it your way. I don't care if you're angry._

Eventually I see that he's drifted off to sleep, his tense shoulders relaxing as he slowly breathes in and out. As he shifts, I can see a small thorn in the hollow between his back and neck. Somehow, Whispersong missed it. Carefully, I lean over and grasp it with my teeth. But this is akin to burying my face in his fur, and unavoidably, I am immersed in his scent. He smells…nice. Fresh, and pure, even though he just tumbled through bushes and dirt.

He moves slightly, murmuring something unintelligible in his sleep, and I freeze. If he wakes up, what possibly can I say? "Oh hey, I'm just removing your last thorn. Don't mind me; go back to sleep."

But he doesn't wake up. _Thank StarClan._ Bending over to his nest again, I grasp the last thorn firmly in my teeth and pull it out. I drop it on the ground and then close my own eyes, turning my back to Tigerpaw as a silent act of defiance. But even as I drift off to sleep, I can still smell his scent surrounding me, a clear drop of dew in the morning, a light breeze in the air. It wreathes around me as I drift off into sleep, reminding me of before he became angry at me for some reason I can't even name.

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><p>...I really need to stop writing chapters where Amberpaw's awake and Tigerpaw isn't. It's getting a little too close for comfort, isn't it? DX<p>

Anyhoo, who can guess why Tigerpaw's acting like that? If you can, you will be the proud owner of a disgruntled-looking Tigerpaw with thorns sticking out of his pelt.

Let's see if we can break the big ole three-digits. Review? ;3

~Ponyiowa


	13. Silence

I'm updating. A bit late. Heh. However, this one is...the second longest chapter I've written so far, so I think that makes it up.

Too lazy to reply to all the wonderful reviews you sent me. I can't believe how many reviews I got! Thank you! :3 Over the 100 mark and toward the 200 I go! With your help, of course. :P

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><p><span>Chapter 13: Silence<span>

As expected, it's announced that Graypaw, Cloudpaw, and I will not be going to the Gathering—which is in three days—for 'sneaking out of camp and worrying our parents half to death.' Branchstar makes the announcement while I am resting in my nest, for I don't feel like dragging myself out to listen for five minutes to something I already predicted would come true, then have to hobble back in. The pain is not worth it.

Tigerpaw is acting…strange. He wasn't here when I woke up this morning—but that wasn't a big surprise; in fact, I was expecting that, but the realization still makes me feel sad, for some reason. Briefly, the reason of why he might be acting so weird flashes again into my mind, but I shake it away. No. I will not consider it.

The next couple days pass in silence. Only two cats come to visit—my grandmother, Mousetail, who admonishes me sternly while still managing to have a twinkle in her eyes—and surprisingly, Doveflight. Even more surprising is the reason why she comes.

When she first steps into the dark den, I figure she's got a thorn in her paw or something, and has come to have it treated; that must be why she's walking in such a weird way, so hesitant and halting. Or, she's bringing Whispersong some fresh-kill, judging from the mouse dangling from her jaws. So I am taken back when she comes to a stop in front of my nest, and begins to speak.

"Amberpaw," she says, looking down on me, "Thank you for helping rescue my daughter."

It takes me a few moments to take control of my voice, which seems to be stuck in my throat, and even then, what comes out is not the best sentence I could have said in a more comfortable situation. "Um…Graypaw was the one who led the rescue," I say.

Doveflight shakes her head. "No," she says. "Graypaw says that you're the one who did almost everything."

"Well, I suppose that I did help," I concede reluctantly, completely ignoring what she said Graypaw had said. If taking credit for Cloudpaw's rescue will make her leave, then I will. I wish that she would leave _soon_, though, for this is becoming very awkward.

Doveflight nods. "Again, thank you." She drops the brown rodent at my feet. "Here, I thought you might be hungry."

I wonder what is up with all the cats bringing me mice when I'm injured. Though, I am getting pretty hungry. I hook the mouse with my claws and drag it closer. "Thank you."

Doveflight nods for the second time and then turns around and pads out of the den, leaving me to chew on the mouse in thoughtfulness. Doveflight has just shown that yes, you can get over a grudge. I wonder if Cloudpaw will be able to be as grateful. I pause to ponder that.

_Probably not,_ I think after a moment, laughing to myself. _Cloudpaw will be Cloudpaw._

* * *

><p>The next morning, I wake up with a sense of nervous apprehension. I can't figure it out until I remember that this is the day of the Gathering, the one that I am not allowed to go to, and frown, feeling a tinge of sadness at missing my first Gathering. Oh well. I shall just have to wait until next moon.<p>

The sun starts to set, and Branchstar calls the Clan to a meeting, no doubt to announce who's going to the Gathering. Even though I already know I won't be going, I am bored of lying in my nest, so I get up and hobble toward the Hightree. Out of the herbs hollow, Whispersong appears and helps guide me to a good sitting position near the bottom of the Hightree. I nod my thanks to her, and she sits by the roots with her apprentice.

Graypaw soon appears out of the apprentice den—today, the other apprentices are all cooped up in their nests, what with all the snow—and silently seats himself beside me. Cloudpaw reluctantly follows, sitting on his other side. She shoots him a look that clearly shows her disapproval, but he spares neither her nor me a glance.

Ashpaw bounds excitedly out of the apprentice den, pausing when he sees our little huddle in front of the Hightree. Ashpaw will surely go to the Gathering; he's doing well in his training, and Pounceclaw has been praising him repeatedly for the last few days, especially when Branchstar is in earshot. Either Branchstar is going to let Ashpaw go out of pure irritation, or, he'll keep both Ashpaw _and _Pounceclaw from the Gathering out of pure irritation. Or, quite possibly, he might just let Ashpaw go because he's been an extremely good apprentice.

He takes a hesitant step, then joins us. Remembering my resolution to be closer to my littermates, I give him a quick lick on the ear once he settles down. His eyes flick toward mine, surprised, then a purr rises up from his throat and he gives me a lick in return. I am not prepared for the warmth that comes from his touch. Is this, I wonder, the bond that Graypaw and Cloudpaw feel?

Lilacpaw, Darkpaw, and Petalpaw come out of the apprentice den next. Petalpaw's eager steps also falter when she sees Graypaw, Cloudpaw, and me in front of the Hightree, and Darkpaw tilts his head just the tiniest bit, probably in surprise that we showed up anyway. Only my sister completes a non-hesitating walk out of the den and seats herself behind me, shoving her muzzle in the space between Ashpaw's and my shoulders. I lick her cheek in greeting, and she waves her tail, pleased. "I hope you get better soon," she whispers, and I am filled with unexpected happiness.

But the one I am waiting to see the most is Tigerpaw. I prick my ears, listening for the sound of a certain tom's pawsteps, and discreetly but carefully scan the entrance into the apprentice den. I think I can see a dark shape moving inside, but it has yet to come out. Several heartbeats pass before a dark brown paw finally emerges, and a yawning Tigerpaw steps out, blinking at a snowflake that chooses to land right on his nose. Shaking it off, he scans the clearing for a place to sit. His head stops when he sees the little gathering of apprentices, and then he slowly makes his way toward us. Toward me.

There's no place left to sit beside me, but I hope he will sit on Lilacpaw's right side, directly behind me. Maybe then I can ask him why he's been acting so strange these past days. He hesitates as he gets closer, paws lifting from and hitting the earth more slowly. _Come on!_ I cry in my head. _If you don't move faster, then Branchstar will start speaking, and there won't be any time to talk to you!_ His green-blue eyes dart from side to side as he looks for an opening to sit, considering._ For StarClan's sake, there's a spot right next to Lilacpaw_! I wish that I could be telepathic, or that yelling at him across the clearing wouldn't send strange looks toward my way.

I am pleased when his paws turn toward me, and I twist around slightly so that I can meet his eyes when he sits down. But then he shifts his gaze toward Cloudpaw, and seats himself next to her! The white she-cat says something that I can't hear, but the purr that comes from Tigerpaw in return is definitely audible, and makes me grit my teeth. I am opening my mouth to shout, "Hey! Tigerpaw! Get over here!" or something that will make his attention turn to _me_, not her, but at this exact moment, Branchstar leaps up into the Hightree and clears his throat.

Fox-dung.

"Cats of LeafClan," he pronounces, his breath swirling into a cloud of silvery air. "I have chosen the cats who will go to the Gathering tonight. Ravenwing, Breezetail, Twigclaw, Brightsky, and Birchstep will be my warriors. As for the apprentices, Ashpaw, Darkpaw, Lilacpaw, and Petalpaw will be coming."

My head snaps up from where I've been glaring at my paws. Tigerpaw isn't coming? Daring to glance at him, I can see his tail flick in irritation. He hasn't gotten in trouble. Surely falling down a cliff doesn't count against him? Even in my surprise, I note with a small laugh that Ashpaw is coming to the Gathering, while Pounceclaw is not.

Branchstar leaps down from the tree, and the named cats begin to form a group, ready to follow after Branchstar. Falconflight and Whispersong tuck themselves into the front. As she passes me, the medicine cat whispers, "I'm sorry I can't be here to watch over you—it's protocol for the medicine cat and the deputy to attend the Gathering—but if you need anything, just ask Swallowpaw." I push back a rumble of mixed displeasure and amusement and nod. Is this how the elders feel every time an apprentice looks at them with sympathy?

After the named cats have gathered themselves behind him, Branchstar nods to Pounceclaw. "You are in charge of the camp while I'm gone." The brown-and-white tom nods in return, but doesn't speak, so I don't know if he's proud of being in charge of the cats left, or angry at not being included in the cats going. I would be both, I think.

A cat to watch over his Clan secured, Branchstar kinks his tail over his back, and begins padding out of the camp. The selected warriors and apprentices follow him. But before Ashpaw disappears through the bramble entrance, he looks back into the camp, at me, and mouths, _I'll tell you everything. _I wave my tail at him and smile, showing I've heard. He smiles back, then vanishes through the leaves after Twigclaw.

The remaining cats disperse into their dens, save for Pounceclaw and Cedarheart, who settle down beside the entrance to guard it. Graypaw has somehow found a moss ball, and Cloudpaw's crouching down to play with it in the middle of the clearing. I turn from them and scan the camp for Tigerpaw, seeing the tip of a tail disappear from view into the apprentice den. Perfect. Graypaw and Cloudpaw will be the only ones who would need to use the apprentice den, and they're currently playing a game of moss-ball. So if I go in there right now, I can get him on his own, and then I can—

"Hey! Amberpaw!"

I turn at the sound of Graypaw's voice. "Yeah?"

"Want to play moss-ball with us?"

I blink, surprised. It sounds fun, but this is the closest chance I've had to talk to Tigerpaw since getting back from the Twoleg nests. I can always corner him if we have to do apprentice training, I suppose. And Graypaw looks so excited.

He takes my hesitation as a no, and his tail falls in disappointment. "No?"

Cloudpaw smirks. "I told you," she says. "'She probably doesn't want to play,' I said. But did you listen? Nope, you didn't—" I know that I should be rethinking this, but what she says cements my decision.

The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Sure."

His tail goes up again. "Really?"

"Really," I say in amusement.

He grins, then kicks the ball to me.

"Hey!" I yowl. "I wasn't ready!"

Cloudpaw sneers at me, looking for any sign that I'm ready to give up this game. "Are you backing out, then?"

Shifting the center of my weight to my back legs, and being careful to use my left paw, I spin the ball fast and hard toward her, making her jump in surprise. "Nope."

Her fur briefly rises, and then she narrows her blue eyes. "Alright then." She kicks it violently in my direction, but anger has made her paws clumsy and weak, and to stop it I only need to place my paw on it gently.

"Try again," I say lightly, and send it back toward her.

"I will." Kick.

I catch the ball with one claw before it can bounce past me. "That one wasn't so bad," I allow, hiding a smirk as her fur rises again in irritation. "Why don't you see if the next one's better." I spin it toward her, and it sails between her legs.

"Why don't you see if you can get this one!" she snarls, turning around to grab the ball from where it lies in the snow a few tail-lengths away. She sends it toward me with a forceful blow.

A couple mouse-lengths from my paws, it falls to pieces.

Cloudpaw gapes at me, and though I am just as surprised, I start laughing. All the pent up indignant anger inside of me comes pouring out in a wave of laughter. Poor moss-ball. No one should have to put up with a furious Cloudpaw kicking them. Graypaw joins in, his shoulders shaking.

"Nice…job…," he manages between chuckles. Refusing to see the hilarity of this, Cloudpaw glares at us, her blue eyes pinning both of us to where we stand. I can feel her angry gaze on my pelt, but don't care amidst all the laughing.

When we don't stop, Cloudpaw growls and stomps her paw, quite immaturely, in fact. This sends us into another fit of giggles. Graypaw even falls onto the ground. Realizing her mistake, the white apprentice huffs and stands motionless, waiting for us to stop laughing.

Eventually, the amusement fades, and our laughs peter out. Graypaw is already mashing the moss ball back together, ready for another game. We take up our positions, Cloudpaw's shoulders set in determination. Graypaw presses the ball together one more time, then stands up. "This time, be sure to pass to me," he admonishes before kicking it to Cloudpaw.

I settle into a crouching position that Falconflight taught me, the one you use to prepare to leap for your prey, albeit a modified one where the brunt of my weight is located in my back legs, to bear my injured one. Cloudpaw sends it back to her brother with a gentle flick of the paw, her tail still lashing furiously. Graypaw kicks it back to her, his eyes mischievous.

I am tense, ready for when my turn will come, when I suddenly catch a movement out of the corner of my eye. It's only moving for one second more when I turn to it, but I'm sure of what I see—a dark brown tabby tail, just peeking out of the den entrance. More squinting, and I can make out two ears. Tigerpaw.

"Hey! Amberpaw!" Graypaw yowls just as the balls bounces off my legs.

Cloudpaw snickers. "You didn't get it."

"Like you didn't lose the game last time," I snarl, a sudden wave of anger rising up within me. I punt it to her, but this time—the first time—she manages to catch it.

Suddenly bored of this game—or perhaps it's because of the haughty smirk that Cloudpaw sends me way—I excuse myself and pad off, leaving the two littermates to their game. Graypaw opens his mouth as I leave, maybe to say a goodbye, but Cloudpaw shoots the ball at him, and in his distraction, I take the chance to dart into the apprentice den.

"Tigerpaw?" I call into the darkness. I know he can't be asleep—no cat can fall asleep in that short of a time. No answer.

"Tigerpaw?" I step deeper into the den, my eyes beginning to adjust to the dim moonlight coming in. I pick my way to the back of the den, unfamiliar with the shape and the nests, as I never got a chance to sleep in here. "I know you're awake." Again, nothing. Is he really going to pretend that he's deaf or asleep? "And I know you're not deaf either." I widen my eyes to see which nest he's sleeping in. He's the only apprentice in here; it should be easy to pick him out.

At last I spot him. A huddled, motionless lump in the very back of the den. His dark coat has helped him hide from me so far, but now I've found him. And for StarClan's sake, I'm finally going to get some answers out of him. I take a step toward him, but then a voice asks, "What are you doing?"

It's Cloudpaw, staring at me accusatorily, and Graypaw is silhouetted just behind her, his gray coat turned to silver in the moonlight. "Amberpaw?" he asks.

"Erm…" I try to think up a fake reason. No doubt Cloudpaw would flash a mocking, derogatory smile if she knew the true reason, and I'm not in the mood to put up with that. "It's just…I've never been in here, and I wanted to see it."

Graypaw nods immediately, understanding shining in his eyes, and I feel guilty. "Alright. The Gathering's ending soon though, just to let you know, and you should get back to the medicine cat den."

"Right." I nod back, and take my leave. Graypaw and Amberpaw pad to their nests, Graypaw calling out, "Good night!"

"Good night," I say without any feeling, and slowly make my way back to my nest. I can take hints. He doesn't want to talk to me, for sure. But why? _You can't avoid me forever,_ I think, just a bit angry, as I settle down into my nest. _I'll find out why. _

_Sooner or later._

* * *

><p>So if you don't get it, Tigerpaw is mad at Amberpaw for some reason, and Amberpaw is not completely clueless about why, though she avoids thinking about 'that particular reason.' So now she's trying to confront him, but Cloudpaw and Graypaw keep getting in the way. But Tigerpaw can't avoid her forever... *cue evil laugh*<p>

Anyway, review? *w*

~Ponyiowa


	14. Questions

D'oh, I didn't realize I hadn't updated in such a long time! D: I'm sorry, I really am. I'd thought I would update like crazy in summer, but it turns out that I'm even busier now! However, I'll try to make as much time as I can to write and update my stories. :)

**Please vote on my poll. It is about whether you think DawnpawXStormpaw is better or AmberpawXTigerpaw is better. I need your opinions. ;)**

Ranger of the Forest: You are totally right! :D

Star's Song: This chapter happens. ;D

Smurflover: Thanks! :)

Pale-eye: Wow, thank you! :) I wanted to PM you to say thanks, but found that I couldn't. :/ Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

SakuraFlutist: Her life is not easy, like she said at the beginning of this fic. *nods very solemnly*

D: Funny, your name together with the colon looks like what I feel like. D: I'm sorry. And this update is even later, isn't it? I promise I'll update soon.

MatsuriWolfsong: Lol. :P

Frostbliss: The_ deranged_ relationship? That was not what I perceived it to be! D: It will get less serious, don't worry. And about your Cloudpaw comment: Maybe. Hmm...

KodochaFan55: Aww, thanks!

Fluffy Cake: Yes. Last time. *glowers* Yes, moody toms who don't tell you what they're actually feeling are very annoying. *nods*

Mizumaru2312: Thanks for reviewing. :)

TheHelper3440: I'm not telling. P;

The Goddess of Darkness: Okay, your review was the straw that broke the camel's back. I felt so guilty. So, here's the chapter! :3

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14: Questions<span>

"And all the leaders were looking down on us all serious-like, and one by one they stood up and reported their news," Ashpaw says excitedly. He pauses, basking in the attention as we—both the apprentices who went to the Gathering and the ones who didn't—cluster closer in anticipation, bumping each other for room in the crowded area of the apprentices' den that isn't taken up by nests.

"Go on," prompts Graypaw eagerly.

Ashpaw takes a deep breath. "First Ripplestar, the leader of CreekClan went, and then Pebblestar, StoneClan's leader. And lastly, Branchstar stood up. Along with telling what had happened since the last Gathering, they announced their new warriors and apprentices! And everyone that was named got cheered for!"

I listen, delight and disappointment mixing in my stomach. I'm glad that I got cheered for—a bunch of cats shouting my name—but again, I'm sad that I didn't get to go. I've missed my first Gathering, the one event every kit covets, besides their apprentice and warrior ceremonies.

_But it was_ my _decision,_ I remind myself. _I made that choice to sneak out of camp and help Graypaw get Cloudpaw back. I followed what my mother did all those moons ago. The only thing is, Graypaw and Doveflight are the only ones who are thankful. _I slip a glance at the guilty cat, who is sitting with her tail curled around her legs, clearly enjoying the story. Before she can catch me looking at her and give me one of her snarky remarks, I turn my attention back to Ashpaw, who is almost done regaling us with his tale.

"There were so many cats. You probably wouldn't see so many in your lifetime unless you went to the next Gathering," my brother says. I try to imagine this. But Ashpaw's description isn't much to go on, and I only manage to conjure a dim picture of all the Clan cats in my mind.

Cloudpaw's come to the same conclusion. She snorts, flicking her ears derisively. "'So many' is a relative term," she sniffs, in an attempt to sound smart. At least, that's what a pessimistic voice in my head points out.

Ashpaw stops in his storytelling to collect together his reply, his tail tapping the floor as he concentrates on his next words. "Take all of LeafClan's cats, then imagine three LeafClans gathered all together," he amends. "Take twenty-one cats or so away from that number to compensate for the apprentices, warriors, and the elders not going, and that's about how much."

Armed with this new information, I try again. This time, I get a much better result. 'So many' really is the easiest way to describe the numerous cats who gather in my mind.

"Continue," Lilacpaw breaks in. Ashpaw is quite good at telling stories, though he sometimes needs help to concentrate on the storyline.

"Where was I? Oh, yeah." He clears his throat, picks up where he left up. "So, there were a lot of cats. So many, clustered in one area. They—"

"How big was the area the Gathering was in?" asks Graypaw.

Ashpaw fumbles for an answer. "Erm…very, very big?" he tries. Ashpaw isn't very good at describing things, I realize with a bit of amusement.

Cloudpaw snorts again. "Okay, big. I can imagine that."

This time Ashpaw ignores her. "And the leaders were all perched on a huge gray rock. It's an enormous boulder, bigger than the Hightree. I forget what it's called, though."

"The Speechstone," supplies Darkpaw.

"The Speechstone," I try out. It sounds nice on my tongue, a smooth river of words.

"Oh, yeah! Yes, the Speechstone," says Ashpaw. "Ahem. Now, where was I…?"

Lilacpaw sighs and flicks Ashpaw on the head with her tail. "There were so many cats, the Gathering clearing was huge, and the leaders told their news on a big great rock called the Speechstone. The—"

"The end!" finishes Ashpaw grandly, eliciting a few laughs.

Cloudpaw stretches, making a great show of yawning, even though it's barely past sunhigh. "Come on, Graypaw," she says, flicking her tail. "I guess we'll have to see ourselves exactly_ how big _the Gathering clearing is when we go next moon." Her brother slowly stands up, his hesitance making it clear that he's not sure that he wants to leave. Before I can say something to defend Ashpaw's storytelling, Cloudpaw makes the decision for Graypaw and exits the apprentices' den, leaving the gray apprentice standing awkwardly in a ring of otherwise sitting apprentices.

"Uh…I have to go," he mumbles, and hurries out after her.

Likely as an attempt to cover up the uncomfortable moment that follows, Petalpaw gets to her feet. "Nice job," she meows, nodding at Ashpaw, and leaves. Lilacpaw and Darkpaw follow, leaving Ashpaw and me sitting in the cool darkness of the den.

"Don't listen to Cloudpaw," I say after a few seconds, the fact that Tigerpaw wasn't here nagging at me in the back of my mind. I still haven't gotten a chance to talk to him yet. "You did pretty good telling how the Gathering went." Then I wince, as I sound like a queen reassuring her forlorn kit that even though he caught no prey on his first hunting session as an apprentice, he's going to grow up to become the best warrior the Clans will ever know. Okay, maybe not as exaggerated as that, but I feel as if I could have chosen better words to support Ashpaw with.

Ashpaw shrugs. "She-cats," he mutters. "They're so annoying."

I smack him lightly on the ear. "Hey!"

"Not _you_," he says, bumping me on the shoulder. "Or Lilacpaw, or Petalpaw, or Whispersong, or any of the other she-cats, really. Just…er...Cloudpaw."

I widen my eyes at him. "Oh… Then I guess you meant to say"—I clear my throat—"Cloudpaw. She's just the most annoying and condescending she-cat _ever_!"

"Exactly." Ashpaw nods solemnly, his green eyes serious. We manage for five more seconds not to crack a smile, and then burst out laughing.

"I feel sorry for Graypaw, though," he admits after the amusement fades away. "Doveflight doesn't seem like the most caring cat, either."

I shuffle my paws at the mention of the former queen. Should I tell Ashpaw that actually, Doveflight does have a heart, that she came to visit me a few sunrises ago? It's not something private; any cat could have walked by and saw Doveflight giving me a mouse. But it's not something that will change Graypaw's emotional welfare if I say it out loud, and anyway, in the seconds that I take to think, Ashpaw is already moving on to another topic.

"So, how's the paw?"

I pause, still lost in my own thoughts. "Excuse me?"

"How many more days until you can get back to training?" he says.

I look down at my hurt paw, wrapped in rush stalks to splint it and prevent more injury. "Three, I think."

Ashpaw purrs. "Good," he says, waving his tail happily. "I want you to become a warrior at the same time as the rest of us. And that means no getting injured again," he adds in a patronizing tone, in an attempt to sound like the medicine cat.

I laugh, though he's got the pitch wrong. I've now been around Whispersong enough times to know exactly how she sounds like. "No worries," I promise. "I'll be—"

"Amberpaw?" a voice calls. The funny thing is, it's Whispersong. "Where are you?"

"I have to go," I say. Ashpaw nods, then stands up with me and lets me lean on him as I walk slowly out of the den.

Whispersong frowns at the sight of me emerging from the apprentices' den. Was I supposed to stay in the medicine cat's den? But I had to listen to Ashpaw's story; and somehow, I don't think Whispersong would like the idea of all the apprentices clustered around the entrance of her den just so I could listen in anymore than seeing me having to be supported by my brother while walking. "A few more days, then you can go take up room in the apprentices' den," she says, looking me up and down. "But for now, I need to change your splint and give you a poppy seed."

"Okay." I follow her into the medicine cat's den, limping slightly but not feeling much pain. This gives me hope that three sunrises will be all I need to rejoin the rest of the apprentices.

"Ashpaw!" Pounceclaw yells, loud enough to turn every cat's head toward him. "Come on, we're going hunting. Let's see if you can catch even more prey this time!"

"Have fun," I say to my brother, being sure to add extra enthusiasm into my tone, and he nods, then bounds to his mentor's side. The two toms disappear through the bramble entrance.

Whispersong snorts. "It's leafbare. He'll be lucky enough to catch even one mouse." I glance discreetly at the fresh-kill pile, which is made up of one scrawny bird and an average-looking vole. She's right; there isn't much prey to be caught, or LeafClan's cats aren't having much luck. While _I'm_ lounging around camp, with an injury that I brought onto myself for not telling Whispersong that it hurt after the apprentice ceremony, and eating fresh-kill and doing absolutely nothing to contribute to the wellbeing of the Clan.

Three more days, I tell myself. And then I can be Falconflight's apprentice again.

I settle myself onto 'my' nest and wait as Whispersong disappears into the herbs hollow, then comes back out with some herbs. First she redoes my splint, binding it expertly, and makes me swallow another marigold poultice. Lastly, she gives me two poppy seeds, watching as I gulp them down and lay my head on the nest rim, waiting for the sleepiness to come.

"It's best to rest while in the final stages to recuperate," she explains as I look through half-lidded eyes up at her. "And, when you wake up, you'll be more refreshed."

She gathers up the excess herbs and deposits them in the herbs hollow. "I'm going out to find some more herbs," she says, shaking marigold petals from her pelt. "If you wake up before I'm back, have yourself some prey but don't go anywhere else. Okay?"

I nod slowly, neck muscles tightening with the effort. "Okay," I agree, as if I would say anything else. The image of her tail disappearing through the entrance of the den is the last thing I see before I fully close my eyes, curl up, and go to sleep.

I wake up to the sound of Whispersong screeching. It appears that every time I go to sleep, I am fated to wake up to someone shouting. I flatten my ears and burrow deeper into my nest, trying to muffle the sound, then lift my head back up when I hear exactly who she's yelling at.

"Tigerpaw!" she shouts across the clearing. The dark brown tom looks up, the squirrel he's carrying swinging with the motion of his head. Ravenwing emerges from the bramble entrance, bearing a mouse. She drops the rodent and says something to him. Tigerpaw hesitates, then lays the squirrel at his mentor's feet and walks with obvious reluctance toward Whispersong, the sun beginning to set behind him. Behind him, Ravenwing picks up the two pieces of prey and deposits them on the fresh-kill pile, picking up the scrawny blackbird to eat in return.

"Yes?" Tigerpaw asks warily as he approaches Whispersong. His eyes glance at me for one fleeting second, then dart back to the gray she-cat. I narrow my eyes at him, even though he's not looking at me anymore, and sit up more in my nest. _Look at me again. I dare you._

"I need to check up on you and give you some herbs," Whispersong states matter-of-factly. "To make sure that none of those scratches got infected, and safeguard them from getting infected later on. You stay there," she instructs, and disappears in the herbs hollow.

"Hey. Tigerpaw," I hiss once she's vanished from sight.

He flicks his gaze toward me. "What?"

"After you're treated, stay. I need to talk to you."

For a moment, he looks back toward the herbs hollow, where Whispersong is audibly moving around in, and doesn't say anything. I stare at him, willing him stop avoiding my gaze and tell me the answer already. _Come on, you—_

"Okay," he says, turning to me with those blue-green eyes, and then Whispersong is appearing from the hollow, herbs clamped in her jaws.

"Alright," she says around her burden. "Let's have a look at those scratches." She spits out the herbs, and begins to examine Tigerpaw's pelt. I pretend to find the bug crawling on the ground very interesting.

Wait. That's not just any bug.

Red coat, with black dots scattered on the back… Check. Six crawling legs with two antennae… Check. And a tendency to be annoying? The ladybug spreads its wings and lands on my nose. Check.

I blink hard, going cross-eyed at the sight. The insect prods the fur at the top of my nose with its first two feet. Hey, that's ticklish! I growl softly, but the ladybug doesn't seem to be intimidated. In fact, it starts to _crawl _up my face! I lift up a paw and make to smack the insect, but, most infuriating of all, it's already lifted into the air, leaving me to hit only my face. The bug does a smug, lazy loop-de-loop, and then flies out of the entrance of the den.

"Amberpaw? Is something the matter?"

Of course, Whispersong just has to notice what I'm doing at the exact second I smack my face with my paw. Tigerpaw looks over at me, his ears pricked in obvious amusement.

"There was a bug," I start to explain. "It landed on my face, so I was trying to—"

But the medicine cat's already turned back to her task at hand, applying a strange green paste to various areas on Tigerpaw's fur. The tabby apprentice grins at me now, before reverting to his stiff position in waiting for Whispersong to finish. Oh, so _now_ he smiles? Glad to know that one of us is happy. I ruffle my fur, self-conscious, and make up for it by sticking out my tongue at him. He must have seen the motion through the corner of his eye, for he twitches his tail in my direction as acknowledgement._ Hey, why don't_ you _try hitting your face with your paw, have the only other cats in the den look at you at the same second, not be given a chance to explain, and see how embarrassing it is!_

Whispersong finishes applying the mashed herbs to Tigerpaw's pelt and puts the herbs away. "I'm going to have a nap," she announces, stretching her shoulders. "Tigerpaw, tell everyone that if anyone needs my help, they should go find Swallowpaw first before waking me up." The dark brown tom nods, and with that, the medicine cat of LeafClan disappears into her own, sleeping hollow opposite the herbs niche.

Tigerpaw waits a few moments for the sounds of Whispersong arranging herself in her nest to fade, then settles himself a few tail-lengths in front of me. "So, what do you want?" he says pleasantly. His cheerily fake tone doesn't fool me, and I narrow my eyes briefly at him, though all he does is look at me expectantly.

I take a deep breath, stalling for time to choose which I should say first out of questions crowding my mind. I'll start with the most recent, I decide. "Okay," I begin. "Where were you when Ashpaw was telling about the Gathering, and why weren't you there?"

For a second, Tigerpaw's cheery appearance falters, and he swallows visibly. The next second, it's back in full swing, and he answers, "Well, I really wanted to hear it, but at the moment Ashpaw was starting the tale, Ravenwing called me to go hunting, and I figured I could always ask him to tell me about it later." He shrugs. "That's it."

_Okay…_ "Do you know why you didn't go to the Gathering?"

"No, but I think it's probably because I didn't do my apprentice duties as well as before the last few days, and because I fell down the cliff and all that."

Darn. It's only the same theory that I have. I decide to avoid asking him again exactly how he fell down the cliff with Ravenwing near him, as I'll probably get the same answer from a few days ago.

I swallow hard, going to my next question. Statement, really. "Tigerpaw… For the last few days, I've been getting the feeling that you've been avoiding me. On purpose."

He shifts uneasily, looking away from me yet again, his paws shuffling like he wants to leave. I subtly tense, muscles ready to jump up and stop him from getting up. But he looks back toward me and says, "Well, I haven't been avoiding you. Just, we haven't gotten to see each other for the past few days." I bite back a doubtful laugh. And what about yesterday? I open my mouth to ask him so, but he's already going on to his next point. "Plus, you're supposed to stay in the medicine cat's den all day, and I've been sort of busy with hunting and training and all that, so while it _may_ have seemed like I was avoiding you, I actually wasn't." Quite obviously he's not going to tell me anything—at least, not anything truthful—so I cut him off when he takes a breath for his next sentence.

"Fine. I get it. You weren't avoiding me." And now you're not telling me the truth, either.

Tigerpaw visibly relaxes, his shoulders slumping with relief. I hide a frown. He really should work on concealing his body language.

"So, everything's good?"

I hesitate, then dip my head. "Yes. I guess I was just paranoid." I then attempt to laugh, to lighten the mood and accompany my words, a guffawing sound that wouldn't have fooled a mouse. But Tigerpaw grins at the sound, an action that shows how desperate he is to have me believe him, and for the whole thing to be so easily smoothed over with a couple of words and a smile.

_I'll drop the matter. For now._

Tigerpaw stands, tail flicking almost nervously. "I'd best get going now." He glances over his shoulder, where the sun's last rays can be seen over the bramble entrance, surrounding the vines with a golden glow. Right. It's almost time to sleep, and he hasn't even eaten yet.

I nod. "Good night, Tigerpaw. See you in training in three days."

"Good night." He pauses for a second, hesitating. He must have made up his mind, for he swiftly leans forward and then, before I can move back or even twitch an ear in surprise, licks me quickly on the head. Before I can react, he exits the den without looking back, his tail disappearing around the corner. When he's completely gone, when even his scent starts to fade, I lay my head on the rim of the nest and try to go to sleep, ignoring the flutter inside me that happened when he touched me. But somehow, the stars, twinkling in their places in the night sky, seem brighter than ever, and the moon winks a shining promise.

_Good night, indeed._

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><p>I almost didn't add the last part, but then I realized that this <em>is<em> half classified as romantic, and that you guys would probably kill me if I didn't update more or/and at least add _some_ romance. So, yeah. :P

Review? Purely to motivate me into writing more, of course.

~Ponyiowa_  
><em>


	15. Tussle

**A/N: I'm horrible at updating, aren't I? I'm so sorry. DX ****The information of why I haven't updated this yet is in the author's note on Chapter 24 of EBN. I don't want to just repeat it. I won't be replying to any reviews here since it's been so long.**

**To all my readers/reviewers/people who favorited/people who alerted this story: Thank you. I love you all. ;3; (No, not in _that_ way...)  
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**Hey, my birthday was on August 3rd, which you might know if you already read the author's note of, again, Chapter 24 of EBN. If you already wished me a happy birthday, you don't need to again. :)**

**One question:I'm thinking of axing the individual review replies and the bottom author's note; and either PMing the person if they have a question or addressing it here if more than two ask it. I will answer reviews here if they're anonymous, but there will most likely be just a couple neat paragraphs in the author's note telling what I feel about the chapter, what I did while writing it, and blah. PM me your thoughts about this, since I still want votes in my current poll!**

**Poll Status: There are 18 votes, 13 for DawnpawXStormpaw, and 5 for AmberpawXTigerpaw. What?! D; I thought it would be close. And come on, I know I have more than 18 readers (hopefully... ;-;), so get those votes in~  
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><p><span>Chapter 15: Tussle<span>

_The air is thick and ashy. It catches in my throat and makes me cough. _

_ Smoke threads through the air, obscuring my view. I bat at it with my paw to see if I can brush it to the side, but only succeed in dissipating a few strands. The thick, bitter smog finds its way into my lungs with every shallow breath I take, and I hack raucously, shoulders shaking with each heave. _

_ Clarity filters into my mind for one split second, knifing through the haze both in my head and around me, and I can see the escape. But it's tiny; either too small for me to fit through or too far away from me to get to in time._

_ Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? A voice at the back of my head assures me that this isn't real, tells me that it's just a dream, but it certainly feels real enough. Flames lick at my feet. They're hungry, ready to feast upon screams and ginger fur. _

_ Fire tears at my eyes, wielding them shut with heat and pain. I'm blind. Blind as a day-old kit, blind as a many-moon-aged elder, blind as any cat stumbling around in the dark on the night as I was born. The flames are merciless, unrepentant as they cavort teasingly around my paws and reach up to touch the corners of my eyes, beautifully wild as the orange-red flares twirl around my tail and spiral under my belly, burning even hotter all the while. _

_ They'll have a taste of my fire-colored pelt next. _

_ And then the flames and I will be one, my body giving it sustenance to dance even higher until finally it flickers out and all that remains is ash. What a terrible way to end, a horrific means of leaving normal Clan life and joining StarClan up above._

_ If you even are destined to go to StarClan, that is._

_ Where I will go doesn't seem to be that. If not…then why am I being surrounded by fire, being tortured by the thick smoke that shreds my lungs and blinds my eyes? _

_Yet at this moment, I feel strangely at peace. The heat cools for a moment, giving me a respite. I already feel like I have joined with the flames, though my body is still substantial and unmarred from heavy burns. I feel…strong. _

_ And then the flames roar up again, swallowing me whole and flinging me into a dark, deep, bottomless hole… _

"Amberpaw? Amberpaw?"

I groan and try to turn away from the voice. Slightly familiar, but unwelcome nonetheless.

"Hey, wake up." Someone suddenly looms over me; I can tell by the sudden absence of light emanating from the annoyingly bright sun.

"Come on, sleepyhead. It's time for training."

I don't care if it's time for the moon to rise and do a jig with the stars across a clear blue sunny sky. I want to sleep.

But then I catch a wisp of a dream—or is it a nightmare?—disappearing into the corners of my mind. Vaguely, with a spark of alarm, I remember something about flames. Heat. Being burned alive. Like the dream I had while in the place with the Twoleg nests.

Nightmare or not, I judge the distance between me and this cat's face and lash out, eyes closed, and claws sheathed, just in case there might be consequences later.

"Amberpaw—Hey! _Ow_!" I tuck my left paw back under me, satisfied. He's going to leave now, right? "I didn't even shout this time!" A pause. "Well, now I am, but that's because you smacked me in the face!" Another pause, longer this time. He leans even closer until I can feel his breaths ruffling my fur faintly with every exhale. I catch the familiar scent of dew in the morning. It's Tigerpaw. "At least open your eyes and have the grace to look sorry!"

I keep my eyes closed for another five seconds. No? He's not going to leave? Well, then. I refused to open them for another six seconds, just to see if he'll back away.

He does not.

One…two…three…

I open my eyes, lean forward, and carefully say, "Boo."

The sudden movement makes him yowl with surprise and jump back.

"Scared much?" I remark as I stand up carefully, testing my weight on the newly healed paw. The three days have now passed and I think that it's fully back to normal. Still, I step out of my nest gingerly, not wanting to put much pressure on my right paw, and pause to look at the apprentice still sitting on the floor, haunches up and dark brown fur puffed out.

"Very much so," he growls as he climbs to his feet, his pelt gradually flattening as he comes to stand next to me.

I grin. "Oh, but your expression. From the look of it, you'd just seen a ghost than heard the word 'Boo'!" When he doesn't grin back, I bump him gently. "Sorry."

He sighs. After a moment, he says, "Apology accepted." He turns his head to look at me. "But…did you have a nightmare or something? You were sort of, well, shaking and rolling around in your nest."

Images of fire flash in my mind. But I don't feel like telling him about it. "I think I might have," I say carefully. "It doesn't matter. I barely remember it anyway."

He looks slightly relieved, for some reason. "Okay."

We walk outside, where tiny snowflakes are beginning to fall. It takes me back to the morning Tigerpaw and I played together in the snow, before he went off to play Tag with the others, and before I wandered around the camp until Graypaw found me and enlisted my help in finding his sister.

Tigerpaw is walking slightly before me, head tipped back to supposedly catch the tiny white flakes on his tongue, as I can't see his face. I slyly watch him out of the corner of my eye, making sure he can't see me. I've got an idea.

I stop walking and soundlessly dash behind a bush, where a nice pile of snow is accumulating. I work quickly, shaping the white mass with my paws. Meanwhile, he moves on, unaware of the fact that I'm not walking behind him anymore. Good.

In a matter of seconds, my weapon is formed: a round, cold-to-the-touch snowball. From behind the bush, I rear up on my hind legs, balancing the snowball between my two front paws. By now he has to have realized that he's alone, and I have to get this shot in, quickly, before he turns.

He starts to turn.

Plan B: Or, I can throw it right in his face as he starts to turn.

I launch the snowball.

I can see the understanding in his widening eyes as the sphere flies toward him; he begins to duck, but it's too late. It whistles toward him and explodes on contact right between his eyes.

Score.

"Fox-dung!" Tigerpaw begins to make his way toward the bush. Too late, I realize that I should have immediately ducked back down after I'd thrown the snowball; he probably would have guessed who had thrown it, but the snow would have blinded him for a few seconds and he would have had to figure out _where_ I was hiding.

I'll give myself up, I decide. If not, he'll probably start a snowball war, and then we'll never get to training in time.

"Happy leaf-bare!" I shout, skidding out from the bush. Right then, a snowball flies just over my head. It's good that my head is already down—otherwise, it would have caught me on the face right where my snowball landed on Tigerpaw. "Truce?" I yell, laughing madly all the while.

Though the snow is falling even heavier now, I can still see his eyes narrow. "None?" I guess, practically roaring the word at the top of my lungs in an attempt to be heard above the wind. He does nothing. "Okay, then!"

_Stealth time!_ I think happily.

First, dash behind a bush. Make sure you are not seen. Second, make your way to another, or anything you can hide behind. Launch snowballs while doing this. Follow these instructions until you have almost reached the enemy.

"Amberpaw—" he starts to growl. But he doesn't finish his sentence. I successfully shut him up by pouncing on him.

We scuffle on the ground. He seems to be unable to get me off, and I use this to my advantage by sitting on him and making another snowball with one front paw—keeping the other on his back for more balance—while he squirms. I grind it into his face when I'm done making it.

"Hey—!" Spitting sounds commence. "Can you at least get off—?" I shove another snowball into his mouth. "This position isn't very fair to—" Another snowball. It looks like he won't be able to finish a sentence at all today.

Finally, with "Aargh!" he manages to flip me off of him. This is mostly because I let him, practically skipping off his back myself.

"I think we can agree that I've won," I cheerfully say, bending down to look at his snow-covered face. His eyes narrow and he leaps up, but I'm ready and back away before he can land on me like I did to him.

He lands heavily, snow flying up with a kick of his paws. I haven't realized the length of the time we've been in the snow and how our snow fight has affected the state of our pelts, but as he stands there, glaring at me, I can see that all that snow has turned his pelt to white, with dapples of brown peeking out occasionally. I must look the same.

I laugh. He looks confused, so I explain. "You know how, before, I said that you looked like you'd just seen a ghost? Well, now you look like one!"

He cracks a smile. "Same to you." And before I can move away, he reaches forward and hooks a paw under my front feet, bringing me down.

"Ooof," I manage.

"I don't think we can agree that you've won yet, Amberpaw," he says. Darn it; he's turned my own words back on me. I hate that. "Shall we contest that fact?"

"Sure," I reply, popping up faster than he expected, which is obvious from the fact that he quickly scrambles backward before he realizes what he's doing. I laugh, and then lunge.

He's ready, and has risen up on his hind legs to meet me. Still, my weight brings him down and we both topple into the snow with a loud thump. He immediately starts trying to get up. White clouds fly up all around us as we grapple for top position.

"What's that?" a voice calls out from the warriors' den. It sounds like Ashfeather.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see a scraggly brown head pop out from the elders' den. Treefall. "Just a bunch of mousebrained apprentices," he shouts. "Noisy things," he mutters a second later, turning tail and disappearing back into the den.

"Might as well give up, you noisy thing," I taunt Tigerpaw from my higher spot.

He flips me on bottom with a grunt. "You first, mousebrain."

I gasp dramatically, thrashing from side to side to try to reverse our positions. "I am wounded."

"Quite," he says dryly, using sarcasm to counter mine.

"No, seriously." I make my voice thin and weak, which isn't that hard considering he's already crushing the life out of me. I take a shuddering breath. "My paw…you're hurting it."

Immediately he rolls off of me, which I wasn't expecting him to do—at least, not as fast. "I'm sorry," he says, eyes wide with something I can only describe as concern and shock. "I—I didn't mean to. Do you want me to take you back to the medicine cat's den? Because I can carry—"

His last sentence ends in an "Ooof" as I pounce on him.

"Actually, I think I feel better," I answer, grinning at him.

I can see the realization in his green eyes. Faint blue shimmers as he blinks, shock surfacing in his irises.

"So…you weren't actually injured?" He makes to rise, and I let him, lifting my paws from his chest as he sits up from where my weight knocked him flat.

The hurt on his face makes me reconsider the blunt "No" I had been planning to answer with.

"Well, you were squashing the life out of me. But for terrible pain…no, there was none of that."

The dark brown striped apprentice looks more upset than when I scared him in the medicine cat's den. The posture he's assumed would make a bystander think I'd just taken his favorite prey and gobbled it all up, instead of merely tricking him to get off of me. What's the matter with him? "So…I didn't actually hurt you?"

"No." To try to wipe that doleful expression of his face, I hold up my paw and waggle it in front of him. "See? I'm fine."

He still doesn't smile. "So…you made me believe that you were injured again just so you could win?"

I wince. When it's put that way, it seems worse than it really is. But is that how he truly sees it? "Hey," I say in a soft voice, getting up and padding to his side, where I sit down again. He doesn't look at me. "Well, yes. I don't really like it being put that way, but I suppose that's true. In fact, I didn't think you'd fall for it, but sorry." I pause. "Again," I add.

He turns to look at me now, shoulders hunched and head dipped. But his eyes are fierce, channeling fervor for something I don't know—yet.

"Well, I did fall for it."

I open my mouth to deliver another apology, but something in his stance makes me stop. I ponder what else to say. A question is brought to mind. "I've got a question," I say carefully. "Why does this matter that much to you? It wasn't much—okay, it didn't seem like it had a big consequence in _my_ mind—but you're acting like I pretended a rock fell on Branchstar and then ran around shouting that it was just a joke." Tigerpaw isn't an over-reactor, and there is an answer to my own question tentatively raising a paw in the back of my mind, but I'm ignoring that. It couldn't be why.

He sighs. His pelt rises briefly, then flattens. His hesitation is clear in his body language—obvious in the twitch of his tail and the emotion in his eyes, which are now staring at the ground, and the dip of his head. I'm not sure if I'm annoyed at the fact I can read him so easily or like that at least I can always tell what he's thinking.

"Well, I don't want to cause you harm," he says finally. My pelt warms. Well, yay. He won't ever kill me, which is something pretty much already guaranteed by the warrior code on pain of banishment and perhaps even death. Good to know.

But he's not done. "I want you to promise something," he says.

"…What is it?" I ask hesitantly.

He looks at me, then, blue-green eyes earnest. Any hesitation has seemed to have evaporated.

"Amberpaw, if I _ever_ hurt you, you tell me," he says. "Okay?"

I take a deep breath, already knowing what I will say. It's not as if I can just snip off a "No," right?

"I will," I say, heart heavy as I utter the words. What once was a happy atmosphere has now dimmed to an indeterminate tension in the air. Snowflakes swirl thickly in front of us. A lot of time has passed since Tigerpaw woke me up this morning, but the sky is still as gray as a mourning dove's plumage, heavy clouds thick and dark like the said bird's feathers. Another promise. As if the first one isn't already under enough pressure.

Almost like he's reading my thoughts, Tigerpaw nuzzles my shoulder, an action so surprising and sudden and sweet that it nearly makes my heart stop. "Okay, good," he tells me. The dark brown tom stands up. "We've still got training to get to," he says as if nothing happened just now.

We start padding toward the entrance. We must be late, I think anxiously. It's better to be worrying about that than mulling over what just happened. It's a wonder that no one besides Ashfeather and Treefall bothered to question the scuffle we had in the clearing; they must be hunting. Or, I realize as we pass Cedarheart and Ivyrain, who are asleep beside the bramble entrance, that we must be early.

"Dad!" Tigerpaw pounces on the dozing tabby tom. "What are you doing?"

"Huh?" Cedarheart startles awake; Ivyrain begins to open her eyes. "What?"

"You're asleep! You're supposed to be guarding the camp! What if some StoneClan warrior came strolling by at this moment, huh? He'd sneak right on by!" Tigerpaw sits back on his haunches, a mask of shock and betrayal plastered over his face. I can tell that it's fake, but Cedarheart looks like Tigerpaw's the leader, not a mere apprentice, and has just caught Cedarheart eating prey before bringing fresh-kill to the queens, kits, and elders.

The brown tabby warrior rubs a forepaw across his eyes, supposedly to try to wipe away any grogginess. "I…I'm sorry. I do think we fell asleep only an hour ago, though. I suppose I'll go tell Branchstar. It's been a tiring night." He takes his leave and starts padding across the clearing—which is covered with paw prints, I notice, and wince—to the leader's den.

Ivyrain yawns before she catches up watching with wide eyes. You are not supposed to fall asleep while guarding the camp, after all. "Don't follow our example," she jokes, managing to make us smile. "What are you two up to?"

"We're going to training," Tigerpaw says proudly. "Tell my dad 'Good morning,' okay?"

"Right," the light-brown she-cat says. "Falconflight, Pounceclaw, Rainsong, and Ravenwing will be working with you all today. And I will."

I nod at her in reply and we make our way to the training hollow, Tigerpaw leading me as I have no idea whatsoever where it is.

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><p><strong>How cute was that? ;3 I didn't even mean to introduce a new promise. I just veered off what I was writing and found myself putting that in. XD What do you guys think of it? Do you think she'll be able to keep that one, too?<strong>

**And what's with the nightmares, hmm?  
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**Review? It motivates me. Even just a quick "Great, I love it. Update soon" will help. ;D Plus, I'm hoping to get to 150 votes with this chapter, though I don't think I will. I need 12 more reviews until there's 150.**

**~Ponyiowa**


	16. Pounce

**A/N: Oh my gosh. I love you all. *hugs* I honestly did not think I would get this many reviews... But let it be known that I do appreciate every one of them. ;) Lol, there are twenty-seven votes in my poll now. Nineteen for DawnXStorm, and only eight for AmberXTiger. ;O; If you haven't voted yet, do! ;3  
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**Happy belated Black Friday and belated Thanksgiving! Enjoy the chapter, guys. :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 16: Pounce<span>

"Hello, young Tigerpaw and Amberpaw!" someone calls out just as we step into the training hollow. I recognize the voice before I see or smell him. It's Pounceclaw.

He's sitting against a tree, tail curled around his paws, looking very happy. "You two are the first apprentices to get here!" he crows. "You're early, too. Good job, good job!"

I stifle a chuckle as I think that we would be even earlier if we hadn't paused to scuffle in the snow on the way, waking up a few other cats while doing so. Good job? Well, you're the one giving the compliment. Tigerpaw obviously sees the irony, too, as he nudges me with a subtle snicker.

"So no one else is here?" Tigerpaw asks.

"Nope," says Rainfall. The pretty gray she-cat is sitting a few fox-lengths away, under another tree, with very wide branches that are heavily laden with snow. It dips under the weight and sends a small shower of the white stuff onto her head. She hisses in annoyance and shakes her head to get it off, in an exasperated way that tells me that this has been happening for a while. She confirms this when she looks up at the pine and glares at it, snapping, "Do that one more time and you'll wish that whoever planted you didn't!"

I clear my throat, simultaneously stuffing the laugh threatening to burst out back in. "Um, are we going to wait for them?"

Rainfall snaps her eyes away from the tree trunk, still looking as if she'd like to murder it. "Yes," she answers. "Even Ravenwing and Falconflight aren't here yet, so it appears we're going to have to wait. We're going to do partner work today, so there will still be enough warriors left to hunt and patrol."

Maybe Tigerpaw and I can be partners! I glance at him hopefully, only to find that he's turning at the same time. Our eyes meet.

Pounceclaw catches our shared look. "No, the pairs will be made up of an apprentice who has a mentor attending, and an apprentice who doesn't. Both of your mentors are coming, so that won't be possible. Plus, we're picking the pairs."

"Fox-dung," I hear Tigerpaw say very quietly under his breath. "What about tomorrow?" he asks, louder.

The white-and-brown spotted tom considers. "Perhaps," he says. "Don't count on it, but maybe."

"Hi!" Graypaw, along with Ashpaw, bursts into the clearing. Petalpaw and my sister come rushing in a few seconds later. "Are we late?"

"Just on time, actually," Rainfall replies. "Later than them, though." She nods at Tigerpaw and me.

"We were going to be here later," Petalpaw pipes up, "because we were going to play in the new snow, but someone already rolled around in it." She shrugs her light brown shoulders. "That's good though, I guess."

I notice that Tigerpaw has an expression on his face that half says he wants to laugh and half says he wants to hide. Instead, I tell him he looks like he's a drowned mouse, and to wipe that weird look off his face.

"Here we are!" Falconflight pads into the clearing, Ravenwing at his side. "Amberpaw! You're finally here!"

I purr. "Yes, I'm finally here!"

"What took you so long?" Rainfall asks, smirking. "I knew you were lazy, brother, but not that much."

This takes me by surprise. Though this is a small Clan, and though they do have the same pelt color, I hadn't thought Falconflight had any siblings. This just shows how much I've been missing, being cooped up in the medicine cat's den so long.

"Sleeping," he responds. "A deputy needs a good dose of sleep."

Rainfall rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to say something else, but just then, Cloudpaw tears into the clearing, skidding on her hind paws as she realizes that she's going too fast and needs to stop. "Am I laaate—Aaaah!" Cats scatter, but it doesn't matter. Unable to stop, she crashes into the tree that Rainfall is sitting under.

Almost in slow motion, the tree relieves itself of its entire load with a heavy, creaking groan.

A whole ton of snow falls from the branches and thunders onto the ground, covering Rainfall and Cloudpaw both.

Falconflight steps forward to see if they're okay, but their heads surface before he can reach the giant mound of snow, and the expression on one of their faces is enough to make him stop.

"I'm not sure which one I want to kill first," says Rainfall in a strangely calm voice, spitting out snow. "The tree, or the mouse-brained, cloud-fluff for brains, idiotic, incompetent, foolish, FOX-DUNGING APPRENTICE!" Her voice rises as the sentence ends. She begins to struggle out of the snow. Falconflight takes a hesitant step as if to help her, but she stops him in his tracks with an amber-eyed frosty glare. I've_ got_ to try that glare out some time. "Do you think," she hisses, "that Ivyrain will let me maul her apprentice? It'll only take her about SIX MOONS TO RECOVER!"

Cloudpaw has ducked back under the snow, leaving only her two white ears above the surface. The color is so like the hue of the snow that they look like two strange bumps, twin ripples on top of the snow pile.

A sentence forms in my mind, and I can't resist.

I take a step forward, and say in my loudest voice, "In answer to your question, Cloudpaw: Yes. Yes, you are late."

Her head pops back up, and this time it's her giving the frosty, homicidal glare, not Rainfall, and I know I'm going to pay for it later, but I can't help it. And as I begin to laugh, so does everyone else.

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><p>Oh, come on.<p>

I know I shouldn't have made that joke earlier!

Is this StarClan's way of punishing me?

"Ready, Amberpaw? Cloudpaw?" Falconflight stands before us, gazing at us seriously as he asks the question.

Shooting one more glance at Cloudpaw, my partner, I push aside my disgruntlement and nod. Yes, I am. I will not allow someone like Cloudpaw to get in the way of my first sunrise back at training.

"Yes, Falconflight," Cloudpaw chirps brightly, the perfect image of an obedient apprentice.

Humph. It's obvious that she's trying to show me up.

I don't think I'm in a very charitable mood today.

"What are we going to be doing today?" I ask.

"I'll be teaching you guys how to pounce on a moving enemy," he responds.

"You mean, like how we catch prey?"

"Kind of, Amberpaw," Falconflight says. "Only, mice don't fight back. Our lesson will deal with pouncing on another cat and then fighting with them." He takes a step back and eyes us, then tells us to turn toward each other. We do so, and he commands, "Leap."

He's barely finished his sentence when Cloudpaw lets out a loud screech and lunges toward me. I rise up onto my hind legs for the second time in as many hours and jump, meeting her in midair and locking my claws into hers. I must have launched myself higher, because when gravity takes hold, it's to slam the white apprentice into the ground on her back, with me standing triumphantly above her.

"Rematch!" Cloudpaw demands once she's discerned that I won, scrambling up onto her paws.

Falconflight purrs with amusement. "Oh, don't worry, Cloudpaw," he says. "We'll be doing this many, many times." He then looks at me. "Wonderful job, Amberpaw." His eyes glow with delight. "You jumped so high, I could have sworn you were flying."

"Really?" My fur fluffs up with surprised pleasure.

"Yes, really," he says. "You do have long legs. Like your grandfather."

"Thanks," I say shyly, peering down at my legs. They seem the same as always, but then, I have had them for every day of myself and never thought much about them, so perhaps it's just Falconflight's perspective.

"How's your paw?"

"Good," I confirm, knowing which one he means, and stomping on the ground with it just to emphasize my point. No pain at all.

Cloudpaw lets out a loud sigh. "Yes, yes, you can jump high, how _wonderful_. Can we continue now?"

"Certainly, Cloudpaw," the dark gray tabby tom says. "Resume your former positions, please."

Cloudpaw and I face each other once more, and at Falconflight's "Go!" we hurdle at each other with accompanying yowls. Yet again, we crash into the earth with Cloudpaw on the bottom. I'm standing up when Falconflight cries, "Come on, you're not going to let her walk away like that, are you, Cloudpaw?"

I immediately whirl to face Cloudpaw, and almost slam into her face. "No, I won't!" Cloudpaw yells as she tackles me and we grapple with each other. I land a blow on her belly—with sheathed claws, of course. She retaliates with a nip on my shoulder.

"You two are fighting like elderly badgers!" Falconflight roars. "Cloudpaw, cover up that belly! In a real battle, it would get sliced open! Amberpaw, stop hitting her and bite like a_ real warrior _instead! Don't let her get away!"

I am miffed at the "real warrior" remark—was that an _insult_?—but he _is _my mentor, and what am I supposed to do but obey? So, I grab Cloudpaw's flailing leg in my jaws and hold on.

"Ow!" She tries to hop away, and then attempts to bite me on the ear to get me to release her, but I have her back leg, and she has as much of a chance of attacking me now as a frog does of escaping from a seasoned CreekClan warrior. "Let me go!" she wails.

Well, that was easy. She just surrendered, didn't she? Still holding Cloudpaw's leg firmly in my teeth, I turn my head toward Falconflight, and he nods at me. I drop the limb.

Almost immediately, Cloudpaw comes at me with an angry caterwaul. She's an angry cloud of white fur, complete with hisses like lightning. She has me flat on my back, mostly with surprise, and try as I might, I can't seem to roll over. There's simply no room.

"Got you," she says in a tone of voice that I think is supposed to invoke fear.

It doesn't.

I remember a move I saw Lilacpaw and Ashpaw practicing while I was in the medicine cat's den. Lilacpaw had tackled Ashpaw to the ground when unexpectedly, Ashpaw went limp under my sister's paws. She'd backed off, looking confused, when suddenly Ashpaw sprang to his feet and barreled into Lilacpaw's side, knocking her to the ground. They'd shared a laugh after figuring out that Ashpaw had tricked her, but it's not the good feelings in this memory I'm looking for.

Instead, I'm trying to remember exactly how Ashpaw leaped to his paws and tackled Lilacpaw.

Once I'm sure I have the move cemented in my mind, I go motionless, closing my eyes. Above me, Cloudpaw doesn't shift a single kittenstep; her shadow still looms, big and dark against my eyelids.

"What are you doing?" she demands, her voice dripping with suspicion. "Don't think you can fool me. Ivyrain taught me that move a few sunrises ago. So if you think that that's going to work, you'd better think again, because—"

_Now!_

I open my eyes, clench the muscles in my abdomen, and throw myself forward, slamming into Cloudpaw's chest. She squeaks in alarm, and I think she would have scuttled backward as fast as she could, if not for the fact that she's already knocked flat on the ground in a very humiliating position. I'll bet it burns.

"Victory!" I cry, not being able to resist.

"Nice, very nice!" compliments Falconflight in a loud voice. "Amberpaw, fantastic job there pretending to be defeated. Cloudpaw, I applaud you for being suspicious. Nevertheless, you must follow that suspicion up with action. Don't be caught off guard."

"Great StarClan, Falconflight," meows Rainfall, padding to her brother's side. "It sounded as if you were holding a battle between a fox and a badger."

"Cloudpaw's the badger!" I pipe, my triumph making me especially enthusiastic.

"They were learning how to pounce and wrestle," Falconflight explains proudly.

"Still sounded as if a fox and a badger were fighting," Rainfall insists with amusement twinkling in her eyes. "I think that should be enough for today."

"I agree!" say Graypaw and Darkpaw in unison, who have followed Rainfall.

"We worked on landing a blow on another cat without getting hit in return. I got Darkpaw fifteen times!" Graypaw exclaims.

"Wait until next time," Darkpaw promises. "You won't be able to lift a paw by the time I'm done with you!"

I laugh at his inadvertent threat to be very violent the next training session, and Rainfall cuffs the dark brown tom on the ear with her tail.

"Ow!"

"See?" the gray tabby she-cat says. "I landed a blow on _you _without getting hurt. Now stop your meaningless talk about who's going to beat up who next time before I smack you again."

Darkpaw rubs the side of his head with his paw. "Yes, Rainfall."

"So we can go now?" Petalpaw asks Darkpaw. She's appeared along with Pounceclaw and Ashpaw, who paws anxiously at the ground.

"Apparently so," he says. He looks to Rainfall.

"Off you go!" she meows brightly, nudging him in the side with her nose. Ashpaw lets out a gleeful_ mrrow_ and plunges out of the clearing, quickly followed by Darkpaw, Petalpaw, and Graypaw. I stay behind to ask Falconflight a question, but I want to do it without an audience, so I stand silently and awkwardly next to my mentor, waiting for the other cats to clear out. I expect Cloudpaw to be halfway to the fresh-kill pile by now, but she's waiting, too. I realize why when I spot my sister and Tigerpaw padding toward us with Ravenwing behind them, her tail flicking in a pleased sort of manner.

Of course. She wants to talk to him.

My hypothesis is confirmed when the white she-cat rushes up to Tigerpaw and begins talking to him. I find amusement in the fact that he looks slightly irritated. Realizing that if I stand here anymore without doing anything, I'll look stupid, I turn toward Falconflight and ask, "Could I please have some more training? I'm worried that I'm behind."

"Sure," he agrees, looking pleased. "Shall we move out into the more forested area? We can downgrade to hunting mice."

"Whatever you say, dearest mentor," I purr brightly.

"Amberpaw," Tigerpaw says.

I turn to look at him. "Hmm?" I say. Cloudpaw has moved on to talking with Lilacpaw; they're almost back to camp, now. I watch the white she-cat turn and shout, "Are you coming?" at Tigerpaw.

"Nothing," he says to me. Without another word, he pads after Cloudpaw and Lilacpaw.

But as Falconflight and I leave, I shoot Tigerpaw a quick look. It could be just me, but he looks completely miserable.

* * *

><p>I bound into camp happily, two mice hanging from my jaws. It was so fun! Falconflight taught me how to get closer to prey without making noise. The snow under my paws helps, too. Now, I can sneak up on Tigerpaw or my siblings!<p>

At Falconflight's nod, I deposit the rodents on the fresh-kill pile. He drops his squirrel in and chooses a bird, padding off to talk with Rainfall. I look around for Lilacpaw, but she doesn't seem to be anywhere. I decide to visit Mousetail, as I haven't seen her in a while.

As I pass the apprentice den, with a vole in my mouth for the orange she-cat, a gray head pops out, followed by a white one.

"Hi, Amberpaw! Where are you going?" Graypaw asks.

"To see Mousetail," I answer through the vole.

Cloudpaw sniffs and shakes her head in a demeaning sort of manner. "Oh, that scrawny old she-cat."

My fur rises. "What did you say?" I demand, taking a step toward the white apprentice. I drop the vole, ready for a fight.

And, of course, she gives me an opening for one. "That Mousetail's scrawny. And ugly, too."

That's the last straw for me. "Don't talk about my grandmother that way!" I yowl, pouncing on Cloudpaw. She lets out a surprised mewl before fighting back.

"Cloudpaw? Amberpaw!" Graypaw's surprised voice cuts into the melee, right next to my ear. I think Cloudpaw must have scratched him, perhaps on accident, because immediately after that, he gives a yowl and jumps back.

"Hey, hey, stop!" A new voice. Familiar, too. At the command, I cease fighting, but Cloudpaw keeps trying to bite me.

"ENOUGH!" Someone takes Cloudpaw's scruff and hauls her away from me. She glares at the cat who dragged her away—Rainfall—and turns her head to spit at me. I recognize that now, we're just outside the apprentice den; we must have fought our way out of there without realizing it. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a couple upturned nests. Oops.

"We're going to the leader's den," Falconflight says, his voice muffled because of his grip on my neck. Nevertheless, I can hear his disappointment.

"Okay," I say in a small voice. He feels let down, I know. That much is clear from his eyes and his tone. But what else could I have done, when my grandmother was being insulted?

Though, I suppose I could have been less violent.


	17. Visit

**Whoa...that is the most reviews-twenty-one-that I have ever gotten after updating. Wow. Keep it up, guys! XD And is it just me, or did less regular reviewers review and more anonymous, (newer) people review? ;-; From now on, anonymous reviewers: If you haven't already, please call yourself something other than Guest, because otherwise it just gets too confusing with multiple Guests. DX**

_Replies to anonymous reviews:_

**Moonlight141:** _Well, thanks for your preview of your fanfic...? :P Yep, you were right, Tigerpaw was the brown blur! And no, I haven't heard of Sparrowflight77, if you mean "who." I tried to find her on FFN, but I couldn't. Thank you for all your reviews! :)_

**Guest:** _Thanks! :D_

**Heartbroken:** _By "switched around the original form of 3rd person to 1st person in this book," do you mean that you've read my other fic, and saw that it was in past tense? Because I'm pretty sure that third person wasn't created earlier than first person point-of-view. I don't know. :P Ah, about your comment about the beginning: It's supposed to be a reflection coming from Amberpaw on the situation with her father; she's not really anywhere except for in her own head, I guess. :P Does that make sense? And don't worry, I welcome constructive criticism. I can take negative comments about my work as long as they're justified and I can see what they're talking about._

_Ooh, that's cool. I'm sure you'll love having an account as much as I do. X3 Just click "Sign Up" and put in your email, chosen username, and password. You are thirteen, right? ;P After you register, an email should be sent to your account from them and you can click on it to verify the account and use it. Send me a PM once you've registered! ^^_

**Guest:** _I'm not sure if you're the same person as the other Guest, but I will! ^^_

**:D:** _Lol. XD_

**Lydia:** _Wow, really? Thanks! :3_

**Guest:** _I'm not sure if you're one of the first two Guests or both, but I don't think you are, since you used capitalization. ;P And thank you; I will! :)_

**Hulkiberry:** _Glad to hear it! :D_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 17: Visit<span>

"Cloudpaw, your punishment will start tomorrow and is to help Whispersong with her herbs for the next quartermoon," Branchstar intones seriously. The white she-cat looks disgruntled and twitches her ears in dislike, but wisely keeps quiet in the presence of the brown leader.

Then he turns to me. I lift my head and look just past Branchstar's face, but I quickly turn my eyes to his face, startled, when he says, "Amberpaw, your punishment is to clean the elders of their ticks for the next quartermoon, starting tomorrow."

My eyes widen in amusement and I have to keep a _mrrow_ of amusement from escaping. It's ironic; it really is. But I'm not about to tell Branchstar that.

"You are dismissed," Branchstar says, and I move to scramble out of the den.

Some cat has brought the vole into the den; I find this out as I nearly trip over it at the mouth of the cave and send it flying into the sunlight, where I can see what it is. Whether it was an attempt to be helpful or a sneer, I don't know. The vole's dusty from when I dropped it, so I eat it and pick up a bird for Mousetail.

As I step into the dark elders' den, a voice says, "So, I heard you gave Cloudpaw a few scratches."

I drop the bird in front of the speaker. "Yes, I did. But I can explain. You see, she insulted—"

"No need." Her tone is warm, tinged with fondness. An orange paw reaches into the pool of light I've set the bird in and draws it back toward her. Green eyes glint with obvious amusement as Mousetail leans forward. "I heard it."

"Every single bit?"

"Yep. I imagine even the other Clans heard it. They'll know to watch out for you in battle," she teases.

I purr, relieved that I've gotten off so easily, both with Branchstar and Mousetail. I honestly expected something much harsher than having to rid the elders of their ticks, but perhaps Branchstar remembers something from his apprentice days. I know I'll have to face Falconflight and Cloudpaw later, and I'm not looking forward to it, but the aftermath is not as harsh as I've expected.

It turns out, though, that I've forgotten about Treefall.

"Mousebrained apprentices," the cantankerous old tom mutters from his corner. "Troublemakers, every single one of them."

My spine stiffens even though I have a hunch that he doesn't really mean it, but I won't call him out on it. I'll just get a hiss for my trouble.

But Mousetail doesn't have any qualms about that.

"If I remember correctly, Treefall, you had the record for the most visits to the leader in our time," she says, ears twitching. "_In fact_, I cannot recall a single cat who has a higher number than you for having to go to the leader's den when you're not the deputy or medicine cat."

The only answer to that is a noncommittal grunt.

"_Denial_," Mousetail whispers right next to my ear, and we crack up laughing.

"I can see that I'm not needed here," Treefall says with a huff. "Well, I suppose I'll go outside and get some sunshine."

I look out into the camp. "It's not very sunny today," I point out.

He heaves a great sigh. "Fine, I'll go and freeze my whiskers off. Happy?" Without waiting for a reply, he lurches to his feet and goes outside. A thump is heard, and a flurry of snow flies up. Then, a grunt that I can't interpret follows. He must be sitting right outside the elders' den. Good enough, I suppose.

Mousetail has begun to eat the bird. I watch her for a few seconds, not wanting to disturb her, but needing to ask her something all the same. While I was cooped up in the medicine cat's den for those last few days, I had a lot of time on my paws, and my mind didn't seem inclined to let me simply rest. She seems to pick up on this, glancing up curiously at me as she chews, and finishes the fresh-kill in a very short time. "Something on your mind?"

"I…," I begin hesitantly. "I want to know about the night of my birth."

There. It's out.

I've never asked Brightsky about it, because it seems too intimate, even between a queen and her foster kit. Also, as she was also giving birth on the same night, she probably hadn't concentrated on anything besides getting her litter safely out in the world and wouldn't know too much about what happened. And perhaps, I never had the courage to ask.

Mousetail tilts her head and cleans her whiskers, giving me a questioningly look but not voicing her puzzlement, which I am thankful for. And then, after closing her eyes and opening them again after a few thudding heartbeats, she takes a deep breath and begins.

* * *

><p>"You were born on the tail end of newleaf," she says. "And even though the leaves had yet to change color, that day was as cold as the windiest day in leaf-bare; it was as if the sun had been snuffed out. I nearly froze my fur off that night. But the funny thing is, is that after you were born, it turned warm again, as hot and humid as ever.<p>

"Your mother had been sick for a moon. We were worried that she wouldn't make it, that she wouldn't survive the process of giving birth, but she reassured us that she would." The orange she-cat's green eyes fog over for a few moments, lost in memory. "She _promised_."

My breath catches in my throat.

"But when the time came, it was clear that no matter how strong Blazepelt thought she was things were not going to end well. A quarter-moon before Whispersong thought Blazepelt was going to give birth, the contractions began. Your father was frantic with worry, and Whispersong had to push him out of the den many times. The sun set and rose, without any success but with tons of blood. I know, because I myself was there, watching, and waiting." Mousetail's next sentence comes out tinged with a bit of pride, if I'm not mistaken. "I sneaked in and stayed quiet and wasn't any bother, so Whispersong didn't force me out. Besides, I would have put up more protest than Birchstep ever will in his entire life if someone had tried to kick me out.

"At last Whispersong yowled that there was success. A small bundle of fur had made it through. A tom. Ashpaw. We broke the bag quickly and licked him until he was dry, as the second kit was coming. This kit was another scrap of gray fur, and Swallowpaw tore open the bag and made sure she was dry. At this point, Birchstep poked his head in and refused to be moved. This time we let him, because the birth was almost over. Your father asked what the two kits' names were, and Blazepelt told him that he could name them. Within a few heartbeats, the tom became Ashkit and the she-kit became Lilackit.

"But now, it was becoming difficult. With every regular contraction, and a few irregular ones, hacking coughs shook Blazepelt's body. She refused the catmint offered to her, saying that it would soon be over and that the herb could be used for other sick cats in leafbare. The last kit was turned around the wrong way, and Blazepelt was losing strength.

"When you finally came out, you weren't breathing.

"Your father frantically tore the bag off and licked you until your ginger fur stood up in spikes, but you refused to respond.

"Blazepelt wasn't doing so well, either. She had stopped coughing, but it seemed that she had stopped taking breaths, either. Whispersong was extremely agitated, for Brightsky had quickly and successfully given birth only a few hours ago, and lay with kits several tail-lengths away, tired from her ordeal but knowing that this other queen's kitting would be even harder. Still, nothing _anybody _was doing was working. Even StarClan, if they were watching, seemed unable to help. I was frozen, not knowing what aid I could possibly offer. And for the span of a few heartbeats, the three ginger cats in LeafClan were as motionless as death. One breathing. Two not.

"But then you gave a shudder—and then a breath. Whispersong placed you at Blazepelt's side, and all eyes turned to your mother. She did not disappoint: she opened her eyes and rasped, 'Good. It's over.'

"However, she looked in bad condition, and Birchstep did not even wait until his mate closed her eyes and put her head back down on her paws to ask, 'Will Blazepelt be okay?'

"Whispersong sent a quick glance at the tired new queen and answered, 'No.'

"I didn't think I'd ever heard any cry as sorrowful as the one that ripped from Birchstep's throat. I don't think I ever will. Whispersong shushed him fiercely and told him that she hadn't wanted to lie, but she didn't want the news to disturb Blazepelt, either.

"Birchstep dropped his head in defeat and went over to sit by the ginger queen. Only then did the adrenaline and fervor of the moment begin to fade, and one question was brought to mind. 'What's this kit's name?' the gray tom asked, gesturing to you with his tail.

"Blazepelt opened her eyes and looked at you. Hardly a few heartbeats had passed when she spoke. 'This last kit—my kit—shall be named Amberkit, named for her pelt.'

"She'd scarcely uttered the words when she began to cough. It was a vicious sound, crackling through the air like fire. Whispersong looked worried, kneaded her paws into the nursery's ground, and said, 'I'd better move her to the medicine cat's den. '

"'I'll take the kits.' The voice rang out in the nervous silence. It was Brightsky, sitting up in her nest. Her kits mewled their complaints at the sudden movement, and for a moment that was the only sound that came after the light brown queen's declaration.

"'Are you sure?' Whispersong asked, her twitching tail conveying her uncertainty. She glanced at Doveflight, the other queen in the nursery. She had already had a litter and would be more experienced with taking care of kits. But with narrowed eyes, the white queen shook her head no.

"'I can,' Brightsky insisted, and Blazepelt lifted up her head and meowed, 'She can. I trust her.'

"'He's cold!' Birchstep cried when he picked up Ashpaw to move to the light brown queen's nest. So was Lilacpaw.

"'She's warm,' Swallowpaw reported of you, nudging your side with a hesitant paw. 'Almost burning, in fact. But it's not a fever,' she added when Birchstep swung his head around in alarm, Ashpaw crying out in protest.

"'She'll warm the others up, then,' Whispersong said confidently. 'Put her in the middle. Right next to that dark brown tabby one.'

"After every kit had been settled down, Blazepelt stood up to move to the medicine cat's den. Whispersong and your father supported her every step of the way. Swallowpaw stayed behind to clean up, and I watched. When Swallowpaw left, I came over to Brightsky, who was almost asleep.

"'Thank you,' I told her quietly.

"'It's nothing,' she replied. 'Just…tell Blazepelt to get better, okay?'

"I nodded and then turned and walked to the entrance of the nursery. The previous day had started out sunny and ended in a cloudy sky. This night, it was been freezing cold. Frost spiraled up the edges of the den entrance. Frost, at the tail end of newleaf. Who would have thought? That said, I was hesitant to step out.

"'But when I did, it was to the sound of an indignant squeak. It was leafbare and then early greenleaf in the next second, warmth washing over my pelt, replacing the bitter cold. Surprised, I jumped, and then looked around to see if anyone else was outside. Only Breezetail was, sitting by the entrance, and he hadn't seemed to notice anything.

"I poked my head back inside the nursery, wanting to see which kit had made the sound. Brightsky caught my questioning glance and gave a _mrrow _of laughter. 'That was Amberkit, I think,' she told me. 'Tigerkit kicked her in the side.' Just then, another squeal sounded, and Brightsky looked down, shifting in her nest. 'Amberkit! Stop shoving him. Hey! _Tigerkit, no_!'

"Seeing that she was busy, I left. I padded through the pleasantly warm night, on my way to deliver a message from Brightsky to Blazepelt. And when I told your mother, she purred weakly and said, 'I will.'

"The next moon, she died.

"It seemed too short a life, too fast a death. It was barely greenleaf, for StarClan's sake. But I can imagine Blazepelt's voice. I know what she would have said. She would have said—she would have said that it was her time."

Mousetail has been staring into the distance for the entire tale. Now, she brings her gaze back to mine, and says two words.

"The end."

* * *

><p>I sit, motionless, words and images and faded memories flooding my mind. Did I really want to know this, when I asked that innocent little question?<p>

It's too late now. I can't forget anything, try as I might.

Mousetail sighs, the sound breaking the hushed silence, and for once she looks her age: a tired old she-cat, long past her prime, curled up in her nest and remembering things from moons long ago. "That's that," she says. "Have a good night's sleep, will you?" I'm surprised to find that the sky is dark. Night must have fallen during the story.

She scrapes her paw over the carcass of the bird I brought for her. The rustle of feathers makes me startle; I glance down at the ground where the remains of the fresh-kill lie, almost expecting to see the sparrow fluttering its wings indignantly. But no, it's not alive. It's not moving by itself; that was Mousetail's paw creating the action that brought the sound.

The bird's dead. It will stay dead for eternity.

And so will my mother.

* * *

><p>I wake. No dreams. Nothing. No fire, but no images of my mother, either.<p>

I stumble out from the apprentices' den, head spinning with the story I was told yesterday. In fact, I don't even watch where I'm going. It's only inevitable that I walk right into someone, and that happens only a few seconds after I leave the den.

"Oof," the cat says, his voice muffled from my weight on top of him. Tigerpaw.

"Um, sorry," I say. We scramble awkwardly to our paws.

A _mrrow _of amusement sounds from a few fox-lengths away, and we simultaneously turn our heads to see a smirking Mousetail leaning against the opening of the elders' den. There is no sign of the worn old she-cat I saw yesterday. That's good, I suppose. However, what's she doing now? Trying to make mischief?

I flash a quick glance at Tigerpaw: he merely looks confused. I sigh silently with relief and give a pointed look to my grandmother.

She doesn't budge.

Instead, she whisks her tail and twitches her ears, eying us. Her green gaze is calculating, planning. What is she thinking?

I have to stop this. So, I use the only weapon in my arsenal. "Hey Tigerpaw, did you know that Mousetail's my grandmother?"

His eyes widen with kit-like glee. "Really? You—you mean, your grandfather's Fireblaze?"

I nod my head.

"W-what?" Ashpaw, padding past us, the moss he's been carrying dropping from his mouth as he backpedals and stares at us in astonishment. "Did I hear that right?"

"Yep," Tigerpaw puts in before I can answer. I feel slightly irritated.

"Let's go ask her, then!" Cloudpaw puts in, appearing suddenly.

"What, you think she would lie?" says Ashpaw to her.

"I believe it," puts in Graypaw, poking his head into the conversation.

"So do I," adds Lilacpaw, having overheard the debate.

"Whatever it is, I agree," says Darkpaw, stumbling out of the apprentices' den just in time to hear what my sister said. Everyone laughs.

"Forget apprentice duties!" Graypaw declares, sticking up his tail like a leader might do when commanding his Clan. "Let's go visit Mousetail and beg her for stories!"

Amongst the cheers, Ashpaw says, "Well, I, uh, I was supposed to change the moss of the…"

He falls silent as all eyes turn to him.

"…of the elders' nests," he finishes. "So, I'll come!" He picks up the clump of moss he dropped, ears pricked with excitement.

As expected, Mousetail is no longer in sight when I turn toward the elder den. _But she'll be inside,_ I think, smirking. As we all crowd into the elders' den, a voice rings out.

"What's this? Is CreekClan attacking?"

"No, Treefall, that's the apprentices," another voice replies. A pause, and then, "_All _of them, it seems."

"What the fox-dung?" the old tom mutters.

"We want a story!" says Graypaw, apparently having delegated himself as our representative. "You should have plenty, as you're Fireblaze's mate! And, you're also Amberpaw's grandmother!"

Mousetail shoots me a pointed glare, and I shrug innocently. She heaves a big sigh and looks down at the crowd of eager apprentices.

"Want to hear about the time the greatest warrior in the forest got beaten by a mere mouse?" she asks, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Yes, yes!"

"No, go away! I want to sleep!" snaps Treefall. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm changing the moss in your nest. Go sit somewhere else for the time being."

"Impudent youngster," says Treefall to Ashpaw. But he looks pleased, and moves to another nest without further complaint.

With a dramatic clearing of the throat, Mousetail begins her story. But I'm not listening to this tale, though I would like to hear it sometime later. Telling everyone that Mousetail's my grandmother was merely a diverting tactic, not an attempt to get the apprentices to shirk their duties and do something they haven't done in moons: listen to a story from an elder.

I've already heard one story this quarter-moon, and it's enough for me.

* * *

><p>Since I haven't seen a cat actually give birth and don't know a lot about it, I may have gotten some facts wrong. I tried to do a bit of research, but it didn't really help. :P How much do kits move right after a birth; do any of you know? If I've gotten something wrong or it doesn't seem to work, please tell me in your review. I don't think I wrote this chapter very well, so I would love any concrit that makes it better.<p>

Review? ;3

~Ponyiowa


	18. Fresh-kill

**Merry belated Christmas, guys! I got a white Christmas! Jack Frost _finally_ visited! P; And the world didn't end, either! XD Also, my forum anniversary was on December 19! :D The story will start to pick u****p next chapter. I'm glad to hear that I got the birthing process right. And, just to let you guys know, I originally wasn't going to put the story of Amberpaw's birth in, but then I realized that I'd said that Amberpaw was born on a freezing day. And then, six moons later, it was still freezing and snowy. e.e So I added that in to fix my mistake, and also, it adds more to the phoenix part of this! **

**In addition I'm on winter vacation now! This year, my school pushed it back a week and took off a day. -.- But it's finally here! I'm planning to update and write a lot, so you can hope. ;) I mean, I tried to write and update a lot during Thanksgiving break, which, if you guys were paying attention, kind of failed. But I'll try! So, all in all, I'm pretty happy. ^^  
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_Replies to anonymous reviews:_

**Guest:**_ Can you call yourself something else than "Guest"? Thanks. :P Hmm. Right, if you're not thirteen or older, you can't be on this site. There's this site called "Quotev." I'm not sure if you have to be at least thirteen or older to sign up on there, since I don't have an account on there. I also am not sure if you can post Warriors stories on there, but you can try. :/ And sure, we can be friends! :) I'm not very good about cheering people up, but just follow your dreams._

**Azureestrella:**_ Wow, thank you! ^^ I do try to add amusing parts in here, and I'm glad to hear that someone thinks that Tigerpaw's and Amberpaw's relationship is developed, instead of "staring at each other for ages," as you put it. XD And I try to update fast. :)_

**Hulkiberry:** _Lol, she wouldn't let you leave? *is faintly amused* Oh, good, then! ^^ Thanks!_

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><p><span>Chapter 18: Fresh-kill<span>

As the days pass, the elders' den becomes visited. A lot.

Even a few of the younger warriors start to show up, and Brightsky remarks one day, "Wow, it's so crowded! I didn't know we had _so many_ elders. Are Mousetail and Treefall offering you free fresh-kill or something?"

"Only stories," I purr lightheartedly, although the one tale that comes to mind is not so happy.

One time, Darkpaw asks, "Why's your name Mousetail if you're ginger? I mean, no offense, but it doesn't fit you. I've seen leaves more orange than mice."

"Ah, very nice question," Mousetail says. "When I was born, my coat was actually brown. So, my parents named me Mousekit. But then I became an apprentice, and my pelt turned orange. But I'd already grown used to it, and liked it, so my name stayed the same. Plus there wasn't really an urgent need to change it, even if it depicted the wrong color.

"Besides," she adds, eyes gleaming, "the name Mousetail suggests a quiet cat, doesn't it?"

We all nod.

"By the time I was known as a good fighter, it was too late for all the CreekClan and StoneClan cats whose noses I scratched!" she says loudly, shooting out a paw at Darkpaw's face, who squeaks, startled, and falls backward.

Mousetail chuckles along with the rest of us. "And there you have it," she says.

A quartermoon goes by quickly, and I'm relieved of my tick-picking duties. But I still visit the elders, of course, and when I don't, Brightsky might be there, curious to know the grandmother of her foster kits.

I begin to hear talk of CreekClan warriors stealing our prey. The sunrise after I'm no longer required to come to the elders' den anymore, one of the new warriors, Redpelt, says, "Mousebrained CreekClan cats. They're so fat already, there's really no reason as to they aren't sticking to their side of the border."

Ashfeather nods, leaning down to take a bite of her vole. When she finishes chewing, she says, "I hope Branchstar lets us take a swipe at them. It's been so slow lately."

My ears perk up at the sound of this. Since I was in the medicine cat's den for so long and missed a lot of training, and because I missed my first Gathering, I've been hungering for more Clan stuff. Normal things that happen in the Clans—not annoyances like being unable to train for about nine sunrises, or getting chased by a couple of dogs while rescuing a fellow acquaintance who doesn't like you that much, anyway. Paws tingling with the anticipation of a battle, I sidle over to the two older she-cats.

"A battle, you said?" I inquire.

"I certainly hope so!" says Redpelt vehemently. "We'll show those CreekClan cats not to mess with LeafClan!"

"Um, thanks," I say, and bound over to my sister. "Did you hear? There might be a battle with CreekClan!"

"Really?" Lilacpaw says.

"That's what Redpelt and Ashfeather were talking about. And, like Redpelt says, I certainly hope there is one! I'm bored!"

She rolls her eyes. "Battles are dangerous, Amberpaw."

"Only if you don't know how to fight," I counter. I playfully cuff her ear. "What, are you saying that you can't?"

"Yes, I can!" she says indignantly.

"Show me!"

With a growl, she leaps at me. I slide to the side, churning up snow that flies into Lilacpaw's face. Bonus!

Since there's already some on her, I opt for a not-so-traditional method: burying your opponent in snow. I work quickly, piling the white stuff onto her as fast as I can. When I finish, I stand back, admiring my masterpiece.

And then, it explodes.

"Incoming!" Lilacpaw screeches as she launches out of the pile I've constructed around her.

It probably wasn't what she'd expected, but I immediately scoot backward, more out of surprise than getting out of Lilacpaw's way. In either case, it achieves the same result: Lilacpaw landing in, you guessed it, more snow.

"Pfft!" she says, or rather, spits, slush flying out of her mouth. "Yuck!"

"I win!" I say, prancing in place happily.

She climbs to her feet and shakes the snow off her gray pelt. "Yeah," she acknowledges. "Good job. But seriously, there's so much snow it's unbelievable that anyone can actually move around. I wish greenleaf would come already!"

"I like snow," I say.

"But it's _cold_." She shivers.

I shrug. "It feels okay to me."

She gives me a curious look, then says, "Rematch?"

"Sure."

But as we ready ourselves, Cedarheart comes through the entrance. "We finally caught them on our territory!" he announces triumphantly. There is no need to specify who "them" is; by now every cat has heard about CreekClan's alleged stealing. "But we need reinforcements. A small group should do."

Falconflight looks up sharply from where he's grooming himself. "Excellent!" he says, jumping to his paws and surveying the camp. "Rainfall and Ashfeather, you may go. I will, too."

"About time," Rainfall says, her claws sliding out as she moves to join Tigerpaw's father at the bramble entrance.

Lilacpaw and I look at each other simultaneously. We want to fight, too!

"Please, can we go?" Lilacpaw asks, running up to Falconflight. "We'll help teach those nasty CreekClan cats a lesson!"

"I'm ready," is all I say.

He looks at me and nods. Then he shouts to Cedarheart, "How good is Lilacpaw at fighting?"

"Good enough," Cedarheart barks back. "It's just a border skirmish, but it may get bigger. We need to get a move on—I saw a CreekClan she-cat leave the group. She may have gone to get reinforcements, too."

"Please!"

Falconflight twitches an ear and finally says, "All right. You may go, too."

Lilacpaw nods her head stiffly, like she's trying to show that she's worthy of being picked to fight, and we join the other cats and set off.

Before long, we don't need to rely on Cedarheart's memory: We can hear the fighting with our own ears.

"Give that_ back_!" Rainfall has scrambled ahead of us and now tugs on the wing of a thrush; a small silver tabby tom holds the other.

"No!" he manages through his grip on the bird. "It's _mine_!"

Several fox-lengths away, Breezetail wrestles with a dark golden-brown tom who has a mouse in his jaws. Every time the CreekClan warrior moves his head, which is quite often, as he's trying to get away, the small rodent ends up whacking either him or Breezetail on the face and throat.

The entire thing is so comical that I have to stop in my tracks and turn my eyes away to keep from bursting out in giggles. This is the patrol that we have to fight? These are the cats that we've finally caught stealing?

I pause and take a moment to count the number of CreekClan cats. There are five to the three LeafClan cats on the original border patrol, including Cedarheart—I can't see who they are because of how quick they move. Adding our party of five, that's eight LeafClan cats. No CreekClan reinforcements seem to have come yet.

With a loud growl, Rainfall tears the small bird from the silver tabby's grasp and immediately goes flying backward, landing on her rear. "Ha!" she exclaims when she stops skidding backward.

The CreekClan apprentice droops when he sees Rainfall holding the thrush. His head falls and he picks himself up, slinking off back onto his territory. My jaw drops. Is it a trick—how could he give up so easily?

Rainfall's having the same thoughts. Her triumphant expression vanishes when she sees the pitiful-looking tabby walk away. She drops the bird. "Hey!" she yowls after him. "What was that? You're just going to walk away?"

He doesn't look back.

But I have no more time to dwell on this strange development, because suddenly I'm knocked flat on the ground. Hissing, I twist and simultaneously push upward with my paws, getting up and lunging at my opponent in the same movement—a nice little trick I've perfected with Falconflight. I do it perfectly, but he or she must have backed away just in time, because I don't feel any fur between my claws as I land.

A wide-eyed tortoiseshell she-cat stares at me. "You have no prey!" she meows, surprised.

"Of course I don't," I retort. "The last time I checked, fresh-kill didn't grow on cats. Now get out."

"But—but—" She swings her head from side to side, backing away just slightly. She's still nowhere close to her side of the border.

"Out!" I catch her ear in my teeth to try to pull her forward a few kittensteps.

The CreekClan she-cat rips her ear away, and I'm morbidly satisfied to see a few droplets of blood glistening on the tip. In one fluid motion, she's sliding on her belly toward me and flipping me over like an overgrown fish. I let out a surprised squeak before climbing to my paws; I slip and end up falling on her. Before I can get up or apologize, we're wrestling on the snowy ground. "Sorry for landing on you," I say even as I try to kick her. It isn't very sincere, but what else can I do? "Out!" I shout every few seconds, but she seems determined to stay on LeafClan territory. Since I don't think I can drag this cat to CreekClan land without the element of surprise on my side, I subtly direct my movements toward the river on CreekClan's side. It seems to be working.

Abruptly and without warning, I'm clawing at empty air. I quickly scramble to my feet and see a dark brown tom dragging the tortoiseshell she-cat away. "Hey! That's my opponent!" I complain. The tom gives me a quick look as he hauls the CreekClan cat across the border.

"And stay there!" Tigerpaw says to the cowering she-cat. The sun beats down on a scene I haven't ever thought would happen.

I storm toward him. "What was that?" I demand. "I could have taken her! Just a few more seconds and I would have been done!"

"Could not!"

"Yes, I could have! I've been practicing a lot with Falconflight!"

"It doesn't matter," he says shortly, and stalks away.

Ignoring the fighting cats on either side of me, I run after him, muscles tight with anger. I've been waiting to prove my worth. Being stuck in the medicine cat's den didn't help my Clan; instead, it hurt it, because I wasn't do anything to help and was eating up food and taking space. Rescuing Cloudpaw didn't really count—and no one besides Doveflight really acknowledged it.

Defeating that she-cat would have given me more of a sense of self-worth. I would have proved to myself that I could do something. That I could help. That I was someone who had more than a fire-colored pelt and a secret promise going for her.

And then Tigerpaw took it upon himself to make sure that that all shattered.

What, does he think I can't fight or something?

_I'll show him. _

"Don't ignore me!" I roar after him.

But he does. He doesn't look back. I take a few more steps, then stop. This is not the time and place to confront him.

_Later_, I think grimly.

Then, a new presence makes everyone quiet—a light brown tabby she-cat, flanked by two warriors.

"It's Ripplestar," I hear Falconflight murmur in a surprised tone.

"What's she doing here?" a cat asks.

"I sense trouble," says another cat nervously.

"I wish to speak with your leader," Ripplestar says in an aloft tone.

I immediately look to Falconflight. After a moment, he says, "Very well. I shall take you to our camp. But please, tell your warriors to drop our prey."

All around, thumps sound. I wonder what will happen to the fresh-kill—I don't think I would like eating a piece of that after what they've been through.

"Come on, then."

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><p>"What's he saying?"<p>

"I can't really hear anything so far. Just wait."

"Ouch, get your paw off me!"

"Sorry!" Abashed, I take my foot off Lilacpaw's tail and edge as close as I dare to the opening of the leader's den. Inside, the LeafClan and CreekClan leaders and deputies are having a hushed discussion. One that we're currently trying to hear.

"I think she said something about food!" whispers Lilacpaw.

"Interesting," I comment, only half-listening to Lilacpaw—I'm mostly focused on trying to hear more of their conversation myself.

"…honestly expect us to do this for you?" comes Falconflight's voice. This is a whole other side of him—his voice is cold and sharp like the ice that crackles along the tree branches in the forest. I really hope that tone of voice won't ever be aimed at me.

"We're starving… Can't you help?"

"Marshpelt!"

"It's true."

"What…to the…in your territory?" asks Branchstar, his words muffled.

"Frozen. Many warriors have already cut their paws, trying to…" I think she says "fish" next, but I'm not sure.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

We whip around as one to face Tigerpaw. My eyes narrow at the sight of him, but he looks as innocent as can be.

"I don't know," I say cuttingly. "Why don't you go and _drag_ one of them out so that we can interrogate them?"

His ears twitch, and I know he's caught the extra emphasis on "drag." "Forget I asked," he says, and walks away.

"Whoa, what was that about?" Lilacpaw asks.

"Nothing," I say. "Except for the fact that Tigerpaw likes to steal other cats' opponents."

I feel mean as soon as I finish talking, and wish I can take it back. Will Lilacpaw repeat my words to him? Before I can say anything else, Branchstar, Falconflight, Ripplestar, and the CreekClan deputy, Marshpelt, vacate the den. I quickly turn my back and pretend I've been talking to Lilacpaw this entire time.

"Wow, that was awesome!" I chirp.

Lilacpaw swiftly catches on. "I slashed this one tom's ear," she brags. I don't know if she's for real or not. "He sure looked surprised!"

I catch Falconflight's smile as he pads by, and hide one of my own.

"Quick, they're going to the Hightree!" says Lilacpaw. "I think there's going to be a meeting!"

We dash from our place beside the leader's den and stop just before the Hightree, pacing around so we don't look foolish just in case a meeting doesn't actually happen. But sure enough, Branchstar springs onto a low branch of the Hightree and opens his mouth to issue the formal words: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Hightree!"

"They were talking about food," says Lilacpaw to Ashpaw, who's joined us. "That, and starving."

He swishes his gray-furred tail. "Maybe they need food?" he offers.

"Perhaps," I say. I recall the way the CreekClan cats had fought for the LeafClan prey—as if their very lives depended on it.

Maybe they do.

"Hey, did you see Rainfall and that CreekClan apprentice fighting for the thrush?" I say to Lilacpaw, the memory only amusing me a little now that my previous thought is firmly cemented in my mind. I wonder what Branchstar will announce.

She gives a small purr. "Yep," she confirms. "It was hilarious. But the look on the apprentice's face afterward…"

I nod. "Makes me wonder just how much that was worth to the tom."

"Oh yes, rub it in my face," Ashpaw complains, shoving his face between Lilacpaw's and mine. "I wanted to go to that battle!"

"It was just a border fight," I say, poking him with my paw playfully. "Or, a fresh-kill fight, I guess."

"_Still_," he says, eyes widening. "Tell me about it! I told you about the Gathering! It's only fair!"

"Later, Ash_kit_," Lilacpaw teases. "Branchstar's about to speak."

Indeed, the brown-pelted tom is now settling down on his branch and surveying the cats before him. Conversations fade away as it becomes clear he's waiting for everyone to be quiet.

"Cats of LeafClan," Branchstar begins a few seconds later, "Ripplestar has come to me with a request. The leafbare has been hard for the CreekClan members, and their leader has asked me to let her warriors hunt on our territory."

Murmurs rise up.

"I said yes."

"Branchstar, I respect your experience as a leader, but I'm afraid I must disagree," says Rainfall. "Tell me, is there a limit on when and where they can hunt? If it's too big, or if there are no limits, we will go hungry, too. And, let me just say that I think it's rather ridiculous for CreekClan cats to try to eat squirrels."

"Well, let me just say that I've eaten squirrels that are bigger than you," says Ripplestar, twitching her tail in an angry manner.

"Oh, really?" says Rainfall. "What a marvelous feat!" I agree with that—Rainfall isn't small for her age. In fact, she's average. _That must be a pretty large squirrel._ "And tell me, where did you happen to find those squirrels?"

"CreekClan thanks you for your aid in this harsh time," Marshpelt hastily meows, nudging her fuming leader to the side as discreetly as one can do on a branch with three other cats, in front of an audience made up of many more. "We will remember your gracious deed. We will now leave so that your leader may inform you more thoroughly."

Branchstar is nodding to himself with a satisfied gleam in his eyes—I think that's self-given congratulation—and I realize why he agreed to the request. _Clever._ He signals Ravenwing and Thunderflash, and within a few heartbeats, Ripplestar and Marshpelt are being guided through the bramble entrance.

The entire camp silently watches them go, and then questions break out.

"_So_, about the limits…," Rainfall starts to say.

"I don't like the sound of this," Ivyfur frets.

"Just let them starve!" offers Treefall.

At moments like this, it's safe to say that I'm glad I'm not a leader.

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><p>"Hey! Hey, Tigerpaw!"<p>

He turns at the sound of my voice and stops walking.

"Well?" I say when I catch up to him.

Tigerpaw sighs, turning his gaze to the ground. "Well, what?"

"Stop stalling."

He lets out a little chuff of amusement, and then grows serious. "All right, I'll tell you. It's not that I don't think you can't fight…it just that it looked as if you were losing."

"Well, next time, wait a little while," I snap, affronted that he thought I was losing the fight. My ears warm at the notion. Did I seriously seem like that on the battlefield? "Then go see if someone needs help."

He bows his head respectfully. "Yes, my leader. I will."

I can't help smiling. "All right, then."

He gives me a quick lick before turning and striding off. But as I watch him go, I can't shake the feeling that something's off. Threads are becoming undone, emotions are being buried underground. And unless someone speaks up, our relationship will crumble.

But who will make the first move?

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><p>Yeah... Was that too dramatic or something? I feel like I didn't write it right. And ooh, what will come of this agreement with CreekClan? Review. :)<p>

~Ponyiowa


	19. Worry

**Happy New Year's Eve! Bet you didn't think I'd update this fast! XD This chapter is not going to be very joyful, I'm afraid. Enjoy, and I wish you a happy holiday. :) Oh, and for those of you who are wondering when I'll update EBN (_Everything but Nothing_), I will. Soon. I just have to finish the chapter, which doesn't seem to want to be finished. e.e  
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_Replies to anonymous reviews:_

**A mistaken mayan: **_I love your name. No joke. The world didn't end, lol. :3 You should totally make an account with that as your pen name. As for what you said in your review: I'm guessing the "poor apprentice" you speak of is Tigerpaw? You kind of didn't finish your first sentence, so I'm not sure what you liked, but I'm glad you liked something. X3_

**:D**: _No problem, I like constructive criticism, which is what you're trying to give me, right? Yeah, I'm trying to. And many times I find myself stretching out a chapter when I shouldn't be, so give me a good kick in the behind if that happens! D; This chapter has a bit of TigerXAmber interaction, as you'll soon find out, but I don't think I did it very well. :/ _

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><p><span>Chapter 19: Worry<span>

"Wow."

The word escapes my mouth along with a small puff of silver air as I look around the Gathering clearing.

Cats crowd every bit of land. The smells are overwhelming. Fishy and strange, musky and odd, they swirl to form the mixed scent that assaults my nose as soon as I step into the throng of cats. A few CreekClan warriors nod to us as we pass.

"Now, behave," Brightsky tells the other apprentices and me as we settle down in front of the large gray rock. The Speechstone, I remember it's called.

"Yes, Brightsky," I say, even while continuing to explore the sights before me with curious, wide eyes. I see Splashfoot, the she-cat I fought, and she smiles at me; we've become friendlier since the border skirmish. I want to go over and talk to her, but I don't think Brightsky will let me, so I stay put. Graypaw, Cloudpaw, Tigerpaw, and Lilacpaw give their agreement in various forms of assent. Branchstar decided that the apprentices who couldn't go last time could go this time, seeing as we hadn't done anything bad. Lilacpaw was the best behaved apprentice this moon, so she was chosen, too.

"It's time to begin," murmurs Lilacpaw from behind. I twist around to give her a confused glance, and she gestures at the full moon, now in all its glory. The last wisp of cloud floats away in the dark night sky.

"I, Ripplestar of CreekClan," says the white she-cat, "am pleased to say that life for CreekClan is going well. There was a brief bout of hunger, but Branchstar has allowed us to hunt on his territory for a couple moons, or until the ice lessens on the creek."

"A brief bout?" says Tigerpaw quietly to the right of me. "They were so hungry—or _so stupid_—that they were blatantly stealing prey on our territory!"

I flick him on the shoulder with my tail. "Don't worry; we'll get our pay for that sometime or later."

He grumbles but falls quiet.

"We have no new warriors or apprentices," Ripplestar finishes. Then she takes a step back and looks to Branchstar, who's sitting in the middle.

He steps forward and says, "LeafClan had some trouble earlier with CreekClan trespassers on our territory, but we came to an agreement. As Ripplestar said, her cats will hunt on LeafClan territory for two moons or until the ice lessens on their creek. We also have no new warriors or apprentices since the last Gathering. However, Swallowpaw has completed her medicine cat training and will take over the position of LeafClan medicine cat when Whispersong steps down. Her new name is Swallowpelt."

"Swallowpelt! Swallowpelt! Swallowpelt!"

Branchstar moves back to his original place and dips his head at Harestar, a scrawny gray tom who seems much too nervous and twitchy to be up there, let alone be a leader.

"StoneClan is doing well, even in leafbare," Harestar begins, and I can't help but think that a message along the lines of _We are strong_ is hidden in that sentence. Tigerpaw shifts next to me, narrowing his eyes at the StoneClan leader. "Prey is scarce, as it always is at this time, but we are not starving. We have two new apprentices: Mothpaw and Hollypaw." He pauses for a moment to allow cheers, but there aren't many; I myself only give a few half-hearted calls before dropping silent. With a brief frown, he resumes his speech.

"We have no new warriors, either, but Streampaw, Minnowpaw, and Lionpaw are almost done with their training and will be on the battlefield as full warriors by next moon." I can't help but hear a veiled threat in his words. Branchstar is shifting his paws and giving the other tom leader a coldly polite look, while Ripplestar is nodding to herself, an almost pleased expression on her face. "That is all," Harestar says in a rather nervous tone, and steps back.

"All right, then," Branchstar says. "Unless anyone has something to announce, I think we are done for this Gathering."

Harestar now glances up from where he's been staring at his paws. "Uh, yes. I just remembered I had something else to say."

"And what is it, Harestar?"

The skinny gray tom clears his throat and holds his head high, staring at the LeafClan leader. "I was just wondering why you have so many apprentices right now. I noticed four new ones today. Eight apprentices, in such different colored pelts! Eight apprentices, in leafbare. How 're quite lucky." But the trembling in his voice tells me that he's not fully prepared of the consequences of saying such a drastic thing. Indeed, as Branchstar turns his head, his fur sticking up, looking furious, the StoneClan leader seems to shrink back on his seat on the great Speechstone.

"Usually Ripplestar would be making such statements," says Brightsky quietly. I turn my head to see my foster mother sitting next to me, tail wrapped tightly around her paws.

"I've got it," says another voice, and I crane my neck to see Pounceclaw. The black-and-white tom is staring at the three leaders, his expression grim. "Ripplestar must have bribed Harestar to say that. Whether it's a small piece of CreekClan territory or a promise to come to their aid sometime in the future, she must think that's worth less than turning LeafClan and StoneClan against each other. She obviously would have said it herself, but with Branchstar letting her cats hunt on our territory, she had to find another way to get it out in a public manner that would not point immediately to her."

I blink, surprised at the extent of Pounceclaw's analysis and the hidden web of politics that he says is going around here. Past Brightsky's shoulder, I peer at Ashpaw's mentor with new eyes. There's more to a cat than just his reputation, I think. There are still layers, waiting to be uncovered.

"Are you suggesting that LeafClan is stealing kits?" asks Branchstar venomously.

"Oh, no," says Harestar, although the nervous twitching of his tail implies otherwise. "Of course not, I was just, ahem, stating my wonder at the number of apprentices you have in such a cold, snowy time like this. You would have thought at least one would have been eaten by now."

"My apprentices are fairly smart for their age," Branchstar replies frostily, "which is more than you can say for your scatterbrained apprentices."

"I can't believe it!" whispers Graypaw, who's sitting right behind me, next to my sister, who's seated directly behind Brightsky. "Our first Gathering, and the leaders are already at each other's throats! Ashpaw is going to be so jealous."

I nudge him. "Hey, this is serious, you know. This could turn into a long war."

"Who put thorns in your nest today?" he mutters, but he seems to understand and quiets down.

"I must say that I agree with Harestar," puts in Ripplestar suddenly, as if on cue. As if planned before, for her voice is smooth and steady, with none of the tremors in the StoneClan leader's words—tremors that might come from the skinny tom's personality, or a failure to practice. _Actually, that just might be,_ I think, recalling what Pounceclaw said.

"LeafClan's apprentices come from LeafClan," says Branchstar, sweeping an angry gaze across the gathered cats. "We have no former rogues in our Clan. There are no loners that have joined us, and none ever did before, either. Every single cat in my Clan has pure LeafClan blood running through their veins. That is a claim the other two Clans cannot make. When's the last time you saw your father, Harestar? Didn't I see him lounging in Twolegplace one afternoon?"

The StoneClan leader looks indignant. "That's a serious accusation to make, Branchstar."

"Not as serious as the one you just made, Harestar. And it's not an accusation. I know for a fact that you're half kittypet."

"Leaders, leaders," purrs Ripplestar, sounding a bit anxious. "Tonight we are supposed to talk in peace. I do think I see some clouds there. Shall we end the Gathering?"

"Careful there, Ripplestar," says Branchstar. "I know that you're not innocent in this. And let me say that if your cats start to go hungry again, you might find yourself having even less apprentices than LeafClan."

_It's another veiled threat_, I realize. _He's telling her that he might not let the CreekClan cats hunt on our territory anymore if she continues to stir up trouble._ My theory is confirmed when the black-striped she-cat stiffens and gives one short, curt nod. I'm ridiculously happy, as if I've just won a game of moss-ball, when I remember that, like I told Graypaw, this is not something to be entertained by. What's happening between Ripplestar, Branchstar, and Harestar is a dangerous exchange, not something to laugh at.

The three leaders are now silent, and in their hush, murmurs start to rise up from the cats below. Pounceclaw is muttering to himself, glaring at the ground. Far off to my right, Rainfall is talking to Ivyfur in a hushed voice. Any anger between them that stems from Ivyfur's apprentice showering snow on Rainfall is not seen in their conversation.

I start to feel a touch of unease in my stomach. _Does anyone believe Harestar?_ _Surely not. There have never been any rumors of love between a LeafClan cat and a non-LeafClan member. Yuck. And Brightsky never told me if any loners or rogues joined our Clan. But then, I'm only seven moons old. Who would take the time to tell me anything like that? _

Right when voices start to rise and claws are being unsheathed, a cat yowls, "Look! The moon! It's being covered by clouds!"

I glance up just in time to see the bright moon vanish from sight.

"This Gathering is now adjourned," pronounces Branchstar from his perch on the Speechstone, and then leaps off to join Falconflight on ground level.

Obediently, I follow the LeafClan leader back to our camp, but not before sneaking one last peek at the scene we're leaving behind. Harestar, the scrawny StoneClan leader, is talking with an orange she-cat at the bottom of the large gray boulder—his deputy, I guess. He looks around nervously every few seconds, as if the tête-à-tête he's holding is not meant to be heard by other ears. The StoneClan cats wander around several fox-lengths away, waiting for their leader to head them on the way back to their camp.

Meanwhile, the black-and-white she-cat, Ripplestar, has not yet left the Speechstone. She sits upon the huge rock, head held high. She studies the leaving cats with a satisfied air about her.

_I do not like her_, I decide. _And if I ever meet her in battle, I will be sure to leave several claw marks in her pelt._

* * *

><p>The next morning, I wake up on my own. No dark brown tom yanks at my ear, yelling me to wake up. The cat that would do that is sleeping soundly a few kittensteps away, his tail draped over his nose. My dreams were peaceful. I am pretty sure I caught a hundred mice in one of them. But then, that's why they're dreams.<p>

I pad outside to revel in the cold, clear morning air before Falconflight calls me over for more training. The snow crunches under my feet, reminding me once again that it's leafbare. I frown, recalling Harestar's words from last night.

"_I was just wondering why you have so many apprentices right now. I noticed four new ones today. Eight apprentices, in such different colored pelts! Eight apprentices, in leafbare. How unusual. You're quite lucky." _

I know it's not true. He was just trying to cause trouble, and distrust. But he's right about one thing: it is unusual. We have been lucky that none of us have died yet—excepting Oakpelt. I glance over to the fresh-kill pile. The amount of prey in it has been dwindling, and now it's shrunken even more because of the CreekClan cats hunting on our territory. My stomach growls, but I don't move to take anything from the pile.

_It's good to have many apprentices in greenleaf,_ I think, _but not in leafbare. Do any of the warriors hate us for being so many in number?_

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

"Hmm?" I respond absently. "Just about what Harestar said. He's right; I don't think there are normally so many apprentices in leafbare. I was talking to Brightsky the other day, and she said that usually there are four or five at any time. And also, she said that the other Clans currently have around three apprentices. Look at the fresh-kill pile; it's so empty. It's good that there are so many apprentices, but the prey is being eaten up quickly and the other Clans might start to think that there are loners and rogues joining."

"Whoa, hold on," Tigerpaw says, moving to stand in front of me. "That was quite a depressed little monologue you just gave there. It's fine. If they think that, then they can just take their suspicions and sit on them."

I laugh. "Well, okay. If you say so, oh great, intelligent Tigerpaw." I squint at him. "You're not saying that to be comforting, are you?"

"No," he says earnestly. "It's going to be all right."

I can't think of anything to say to that, so I just stand there awkwardly, until I realize with a pang of alarm that Tigerpaw is standing quite close to me. I lift my gaze from where I've been staring at the snow-covered ground up to his face—just a quick glance, to see what he's been doing while I've been fumbling for some words to say.

It turns out that he's been looking right at me.

I swallow hard.

"Is there something on my face?" I ask, knowing full well there isn't but hoping to get to a comfortable, normal subject.

He starts, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Come again?"

"I said, is there something on my face?"

"Why, yes there is," he answers smoothly. "There's a patch of snow right on your left ear."

I narrow my eyes at him. "There is not."

"You don't believe me?"

"Nope."

"But there is," he says, moving down to scrape a pawful of snow off the ground. I immediately step backward, guessing that whatever he has in mind won't be good for me.

"See?" he says, closing the space between us. "Right…there." And he smacks the snow onto my face.

I sputter, scrambling to get all the snow off, and back away. "I meant there wasn't any _before! _ You cheater."

"Oh, but now there is." He grins. "Who's looking like a drowned mouse now, Amberpaw?"

"You. Didn't you hear Mousetail and Darkpaw? Mice aren't usually ginger. However, your pelt is the same color as a normal one."

He frowns, pretending to work that out in his head—or maybe he's actually confused, I'm not sure—and I laugh and brush past him. "Come on, mousebrain. Let's go see what we're doing today."

* * *

><p>It turns out that we apprentices will be separated into two groups: one will abet Whispersong and Swallowpelt; the other will patrol alongside the CreekClan border. At sunhigh, the groups will switch, with the second group helping the medicine cats gather even more herbs, and the first group checking the border LeafClan shares with StoneClan.<p>

Graypaw, Ashpaw, Petalpaw, and I are in the first group. The second group is made up of Cloudpaw, Darkpaw, Tigerpaw, and Lilacpaw, with Ashfeather and Twigclaw leading them. The two warriors will chaperone the first group when we switch.

"Our main objective is to get lots of catmint," says Whispersong. "It's vital to the getting well of a cat who has whitecough or greencough. Luckily, no one's gotten sick yet, but there might be infected cats later, so we're going to try to scrounge up all the catmint we can find."

Ashpaw yawns. Petalpaw seems to be half-asleep. Graypaw scratches his ear. And I fidget, remembering my encounter with Tigerpaw this morning.

The gray medicine cat sighs. "LISTEN UP, APPRENTICES!" she barks, making Petalpaw jump nearly three kittensteps in the air. "We're going to find as much catmint as we can, along with some other herbs! Ask Swallowpelt or me if you are unsure whether it's a helpful plant or just some weed. _DO NOT_ eat the catmint. In fact, don't eat anything. Let's go."

We stare at her for a couple seconds, not moving a paw.

"Come on!" she says, and walks away. Swallowpelt ushers us through the bramble entrance, then joins the group herself, bringing up the back.

In a small glen that Whispersong says should hold many good herbs, we gather plants in silence: if one of us tries to strike up a conversation, the gray she-cat yells at us to be quiet. Swallowpelt gives me an apologetic look whenever I glance over at her, which I guess is her way of saying sorry without violating her mentor's rule.

I recognize several herbs from my stay in the medicine cat's den, and work quickly to pull them out and deposit them in a slowly growing pile. Miraculously, I find a few catmint stalks, which Whispersong nods at grudgingly. Ashpaw works beside me; before long, we've gone around the entire border of the glen. After that, the two of us pick up the useful plants in the center of the small hollow that the others haven't already gotten to.

A movement catches my eye, and I lift my head up from the shriveled marigold I'm tugging at to see Petalpaw walk past me, a few bright red berries in her mouth. A small alarm goes through me, and I watch Tigerpaw's sister reach Whispersong with heavy apprehension in my belly.

"Hey, are any good?" Petalpaw asks through her grip on the small red spheres. She stands there for several moments before Whispersong turns around. Immediately, the medicine cat's eyes go wide.

"DROP THOSE BERRIES _RIGHT NOW_!"

Petalpaw spits out the berries, laying her ears back in panic. "What?! Is that a 'no'?"

Whispersong takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and opens them again, looking extremely exasperated. "Those were_ deathberries_," she says, her voice low and quiet. "They are very poisonous. One berry can kill a full-grown warrior." She lets those delightful facts sink in, staring at all of us—who have stopped gathering to watch in fearful silence—to make sure we get the full dreadfulness of what she's saying. Then she continues, "Did you eat any? Did you bite down on one?"

"No, I don't think so," says Petalpaw in a small voice.

"Open your mouth. Let me see."

The light brown tabby apprentice obliges, and Whispersong peers in.

"Hmm. I don't see any red stains on your teeth. Do you feel any different?"

"No."

Whispersong straightens. "Close your mouth. Thank StarClan that you didn't actually get a taste. Then, you probably would be dead. Does everyone know what a deathberry looks like, now?"

"Yes," we chorus.

"Where did you find them?" asks the gray she-cat.

"Right here." Petalpaw eagerly makes her way to a small leafy plant.

"Destroy it, and be sure to wash your paws afterward. I think we're done here. Apprentices, do you see any more herbs or deathberries?"

"No," I answer.

"Can't find any," says Ashpaw.

"Then let's head back," says Whispersong. "Swallowpelt, please help me carry these." Swallowpelt takes one tip of the broad leaf, making sure no plants spill off when she lifts up her end. Quietly, we start walking back to camp.

I'm not sure if it was a trick of the leafbare sunlight or real, but as I join Ashpaw, I see the LeafClan medicine cat surreptitiously slip three bright red berries into the bottom of the herbs pile. And then Swallowpelt and Whispersong lift up the leaf, and the deadly little things vanish from sight.

* * *

><p>"I see nothing," I report to Ashfeather.<p>

"No StoneClan cats on our territory?" She sounds almost disappointed, and I have to force down a purr of amusement.

"None at all. I don't see any on _their_ territory, either."

"Well, then." The gray tabby turns to yell to the other apprentices, "Do you guys see any trespassers?"

"Only this annoying one who keeps on trying to find StoneClan cats on her land," Graypaw yells back.

Ashfeather frowns in puzzlement, then she realizes what he means. "Oh, be quiet, you troublemaker."

He responds by laughing.

"We patrolled every tail-length of the border," I say. "Can we go back now?"

"Do you think we should go back now?" Ashfeather says to Twigclaw.

"I suppose," he says.

Graypaw snickers.

"Let's go," the tabby she-cat says curtly. "Come on, Graypaw. Stop laughing."

We enter a harried scene. Whispersong is bending over a dark shape on the ground. Cedarheart paces around them nervously, and Brightsky is sitting next to the tabby-striped cat, talking to him in a low tone. I watch as she lifts a paw as if to touch the cat, but draws back.

While Ashfeather goes to tell Falconflight that StoneClan stayed on their side of the border, I pad a bit closer to Whispersong, and when I do, the dark-pelted tom lifts up his head.

"I think I'll have to move Tigerpaw to the medicine cat's den," Whispersong is saying worriedly to his parents.

"Hey, Tigerpaw." I edge closer, eying the gray she-cat in case she takes her attention off Cedarheart and yells at me for being so near to a patient. "What's wrong?"

He smiles up at me. "Hi, Amber—"

But he can't finish the sentence, because he's suddenly breaking out in an attack of harsh coughing.

* * *

><p>Gah, I'm so bad at writing very "close" scenes between Tigerpaw and Amberpaw. -.- What did you guys think about it, though?<p>

Yep. Accusations, fighting, deathberries, and whitecough. Part of normal Clan life. Fun stuff, eh? Submit a review to tell me what you thought about this chapter. Especially about what I did to Tigerpaw… Don't kill me, please. *cringes*

~Ponyiowa


	20. Cough

**A/N: Yeah...so here I am. :3 Sorry again. *looks sheepish*  
><strong>

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* * *

><p><span>Chapter 20: Cough<span>

Seven sunrises after Tigerpaw begins to cough, three more cats catch whitecough: Ravenwing, Branchstar, and Petalpaw.

Fear spreads through LeafClan like a wildfire: Who will be next? Who will live? Who will die? I remember Oakpelt, dead from a dog only a moon ago.

I pitch in, helping Whispersong and Swallowpelt treat the sick cats whenever I can. It's the least I can do. I put damp moss on their foreheads, give them poppy seeds when the coughing gets very fierce, and pace around nervously.

I do not tell them that everything will be okay.

Whispersong pokes her head out of the medicine cat's den. "Amberpaw? Come here for a moment," she says. I look up from where I've been grooming my whiskers and trot over.

"Yes?"

"We're low on chickweed," she says. "Can you go find some?"

I hesitate. I want to help, but I also want to get more training in. What if the other Clans decide to attack? "What about Falconflight—"

"I already spoke to him," she says briskly. "Now, go." She turns tail and disappears back into the medicine cat's den.

I shake my head in exasperation and head through the bramble-covered entrance of our camp. It snowed again; snow piles up on otherwise bare tree branches, and frost spirals up oak trunks. The white stuff masks my pawsteps as I hurry, wishing to get back to camp as soon as possible, back to other cats, back to Tigerpaw. This time, I do not appreciate the snow.

My breath comes out in puffy white clouds. The cold bites a little at my pelt, but I hardly notice it on my quest to find chickweed, and the discomfort soon goes away.

Try as I might, I cannot spot any chickweed for my life—for other lives. I do come across a bunch of dried up coltsfoot, though, and I pick these up and bring them to Whispersong.

"I couldn't find any chickweed," I say to the gray she-cat after I've dropped the coltsfoot at her feet.

She sighs. "Thank you anyway, Amberpaw." She takes the coltsfoot in her jaws and disappears to put it with the rest of the herbs. Meanwhile, I go visit the sick cats.

I pause by Petalpaw, Branchstar, and Ravenwing, trickling moisture from a ball of moss into their mouths. Swallowpelt nods approvingly at me from her station next to them. I save Tigerpaw for last, who's lying in a second hollow in the corner by the small frozen pool where the water comes from: there's a jagged hole in the middle where Swallowpelt smashes it so that we can get to the water below. He's so close to the pool that it will take him only a few steps to get to the edge, but Whispersong has forbidden any direct drinking from it for fear that it might get contaminated. He doesn't complain, but I feel sorry for him—whenever he gets thirsty, he has to wait for someone to bring him water, while a pool sits tauntingly close by.

"You awake?"

He cracks open an eye. "Just barely," he says, with a period of coughs at the end. His gaze lights up when he sees the wet moss in my mouth.

I sit down and bend forward; he opens his jaws and I bite down on the moss, spraying water onto his tongue. After a decent amount has gone into him, he closes his mouth, and I fill the moss again from the pool. He shakes his head when I look over at him questioningly, wondering if he wants more water, and I set the sopping clump down on a large leaf next to the pool.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, walking back to sit in front of him. This has become sort of a joke between us: we both know the real answer already.

"Oh, just fantastic," he says, managing to smile before two more coughs blast out of him. "I just may go hunting tomorrow."

"Only if you behave well today."

"Yes, I will," he says, and then we fall silent.

"I guess I'd better go," I finally say. But there is no answer. He's fallen asleep. Curled up in his nest, eyes closed, he appears almost healthy, almost fine. Then he coughs again, so violently I'm surprised he doesn't wake up, and the peaceful image is shattered.

"Have a good sleep," I say quietly, even though I know he can't hear me anymore, and pad out of the medicine cat's den.

* * *

><p>"Try again! You almost had it."<p>

I nod at Falconflight and bunch my muscles again, staring up at the delicious-looking squirrel in the tree in front of me. After I left Tigerpaw, I went to go find Falconflight, and now I'm training and hunting at the same time. I'm working on jumping, and if I'm successful, LeafClan will have something else in the fresh-kill pile.

I start running and launch into a jump. The squirrel glances up, frightened, and then—

And then I'm on the ground, warm fur under my paws.

"Wonderful job, Amberpaw!" says Falconflight in approbation. I beam, and he waves his tail in pleasure.

I bury the dead squirrel in a pile of snow—the ground is too hard for a quick hole—and follow my mentor to a place several fox-lengths away.

"Do you hear anything?"

I wait several moments, tilting my head from side to side. "No."

"Do you see anything?"

I look up, scanning the trees. They stand tall and mighty, stark snow-laden branches spread out in front of a gray sky. There's nothing of interest, except for a bird in a tree, and that dropped nut on the ground—oh, wait. "There's a thrush in that beech!" I exclaim.

Falconflight nods. "Nice observation. Do you think you can jump that high?"

The beech is much higher than the last tree. I move backward a couple paces, squinting up at the bird and tilting my head back so much my neck cracks. What I say could be the difference between a successful catch and humiliation. "No," I finally admit.

"So what do you think we should do?"

I mentally roll my eyes, getting fed up with all his questions. I know it's to help me learn, though. A pile of snow falls to the ground while I'm thinking, and the thrush, startled, flies to the tree next over. The beech it lands on is as tall as the oak it just left, so jumping for the bird is still out of the question. But I start to get an idea…

"I have it!"

"Yes, yes?"

"You can climb up in that oak, and I'll leap up and scare the thrush. It'll fly to the tree it left and right into your paws!"

I'm so excited that I'm bouncing on my paws, and when I notice, I don't stop.

He cocks his head to the side, considering it. "That's not a bad idea. Want to give it a try?"

"Ready when you are."

Falconflight turns and races up the shaft of the oak, disappearing as he climbs higher and higher. A few moments pass before he pokes his head from behind the trunk and nods at me to go.

I nod back and position myself in front of the beech, tightening my muscles in preparation.

_One…two…three…_

"Aaargh!" I screech, launching off the ground and up into the sky. The thrush is gone before I can even blink, streaking off the branch in a flurry of brown feathers. I land onto a tree limb some tail-lengths below the bird's branch, sending a whole shower of snow cascading onto the forest floor.

"Amberpaw!"

I look down. Falconflight's looking up at me, grinning. A dead thrush lies at his feet. "We did it! _You _did it!"

"Yes!" I shout, letting out my exhilaration in one word and probably scaring all the other prey within hearing distance back into their nests. I wince. _Oops._

"Come down so we can go back to camp and tell everybody," Falconflight is saying.

I dip my head in assent and crawl off my branch and onto the trunk. I sink my front paws into the wood and step by step, climb down.

If only the rest of life could be as easy.

* * *

><p>"Put those in the fresh-kill pile, and then you can do whatever you like," Falconflight says to me when we enter camp. I finally made it to the ground, with my mentor coaching me all the way. "You did an excellent job today."<p>

"Thank you," I say, and deposit the squirrel and the thrush in the fresh-kill pile. The dark gray tabby tom smiles at me and walks off, presumably to organize a patrol or something. I hear him tell Brightsky how well I did in my training session, and can't keep a grin from my face. Brightsky needs the good news, too. The past few days must have been terrible for her, what with two of her kits sick with whitecough.

Ashpaw is changing Treefall's and Mousetail's moss when I peek into the elders' den, and Graypaw is picking off their ticks. Seeing I'm not needed here, I say a quick hello before leaving. Outside the den, I lean back, breathing in air that doesn't smell like mouse bile, and decide to bring the sick cats fresh-kill.

I pick up the squirrel I caught and a mouse. Ravenwing declines the prey, claiming that she's already eaten, and Branchstar is fast asleep. Petalpaw gratefully takes the brown rodent. She is alternatively coughing and eating when I leave to give the squirrel to Tigerpaw.

He's awake when I come in. Tigerpaw doesn't seem excited at the sight of the fresh-kill, not even when I plop it down right in front of his nose and push it closer enticingly.

"Have you eaten anything this sunrise?" he asks.

I twitch my whiskers in surprise at his question. "Well…" I think, trying to recall if I did, but my stomach quickly answers for me.

Tigerpaw chuckles when it finishes growling. "So"—he stops to cough—"I guess that's a no."

My ears warm. "Just eat the squirrel already."

"Not unless you share it with me," he says.

"I'm not hungry—" I begin, and then break off in defeat as my stomach screams out in opposition. "Okay. Fine. I'll have a couple bites."

He fixes me with a steely stare and coughs. "You're going to have half of it," he says.

"All right, all right." I settle down into the nest next to him.

"You eat your fill, and then give it to me so that you don't catch whitecough."

I nod and begin, tearing and chewing in quick little movements. He doesn't seem to notice when I pass it to him having only consumed two-fifths of it. I yawn when he finishes, growing sleepy.

"Why don't you take a rest?" Tigerpaw suggests. He coughs.

"Hmm?" It is a good idea. "I suppose I could for a few moments…" I curl up, wrapping my tail under my chin.

"Sleep tight," I hear him whisper as I drift off.

It feels like hardly any time has passed when I awake to the sound of Whispersong shouting.

"_What _are you doing?"

I yawn. "Well, I _was _sleeping…"

"Yes! Next to a patient who has whitecough! You know, I really appreciate your help, but didn't you think that if you caught the sickness, it would burden me even more?"

"Oh. Sorry."

Whispersong huffs. "Sorry, you say. Don't let me see you in here again. Go sleep in your own nest." She turns on Tigerpaw next. "And _you_! Why didn't you tell her to get out?"

Tigerpaw is wide-eyed, his ears laid back in fear. "Um…I…"

"Apprentices," Whispersong mutters before the tabby tom can formulate a full sentence, and stomps off.

I let out a laugh as soon as I'm sure she can't hear us anymore. "She overreacted, don't you think?"

To my surprise, he says, between coughs, "Actually, she's right. You shouldn't be here so much."

"What?"

"If you catch whitecough, it'll make her work harder. So…" He pauses to cough, staring at his paws, but continues again, his voice steady. "So I don't think you should come in here again until the whitecough epidemic is over."

I can hardly believe what he's saying. He looks sure of his words, while I am torn between yelling at him and slinking out of the den because I know he's right. I settle on "You can't stop me from visiting and helping out."

Green meets amber as he lifts his eyes from the floor. "No. But I won't be happy about it."

We stare at each other for several long seconds. Finally I break the gaze.

"Fine. As you wish, _leader,"_ I say, spitting out the words like a viper would with its deadly venom.

As I turn around and storm out, I hear him break into a new bout of coughing.

I am so mad that I don't watch where I'm going. I slam into a striped gray side and fall back, nearly crashing into an empty nest and wrecking it. "Oh. Sorry. Hi, Falconflight," I say, embarrassed.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asks in an amused tone.

"Just to see Mousetail," I lie, thinking quickly.

"You'll have to wait, then," another cat says. I turn to look at him. Branchstar continues, "Falconflight was just telling me how well you did today."

"I think I did okay," I say shyly.

"Well, I hope you'll do okay on this assignment I have for you," Branchstar says. "I want you to deliver a message to Ripplestar." He pauses to cough. "I've decided that with whitecough going around, we can no longer spare any fresh-kill for CreekClan. If we catch her cats on our territory again, they will not go unpunished."

Pleasant surprise floods through me, tinged with a flash of apprehension. "Are you sure you want to pick me to go?" _What if I fail?_

"You seem like a good apprentice," Branchstar says. "You'll do fine. If you're scared, just get in, tell Ripplestar, and get out."

I dip my head in assent. "Yes, Branchstar. I will do my best."

Smiling, I slip out of the medicine cat's den and leave the camp. _Humph. Want me to avoid the medicine cat's den, do you, Tigerpaw?_ The border is steadily appearing in the distance as I walk stiffly across LeafClan territory, still miffed about being "barred" from the medicine cat's den by Tigerpaw. I know it's for my own good, but I am quite annoyed by it. Part of my irritation comes from the fact that mouse-dung, he's_ right_. But if no cats went near sick ones, the position of medicine cat wouldn't even exist. I was just trying to help!

_Just get in, tell the CreekClan leader about Branchstar's decision, and get back out, _I think to myself when tendrils of fear start to creep in. _Yes. I can do that._

Wind skirls through the air, tugging at my fur, bringing a blast of icy coldness, but I hardly feel it. There aren't any patrols around, but I hold no belief that I'll be able to march into the CreekClan camp unseen. Sure enough, within a few minutes of stepping onto their territory, a patrol materializes into sight.

"Amberpaw?" meows Splashfoot, her whiskers twitching in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

I shove away my annoyance at Tigerpaw—I must be composed—and give her a small smile, knowing that she'll most likely respond differently to me once the news is known to everyone. "I have something to say to Ripplestar," I answer.

"I'll take you to the camp, then," Splashfoot says, ignoring the displeased comments from her Clanmates. "Wavestorm, Minnowpaw, and Leopardleap, finish marking the border while I'm gone, please."

We walk without talking, the silence between us almost substantial. The tortoiseshell she-cat gives me questioning glances as we travel, but I don't interact with her any more than turning right when she turns right and slowing down when she slows down. She's got to be wondering what the StarClan my message is, but at the same time, she must be thinking that I've got something to hide that she doesn't like.

That's what I would feel like if I were in her place, anyway.

Soon I hear a rumbling. I look up, thinking there's a storm coming, but the sky is as clear as it can be in leafbare.

"That's the creek," Splashfoot explains.

I nod in response this time, but can't keep a gasp from escaping when I see the namesake of CreekClan. It's frozen in place, the roaring and tumbling stopped, the waves splashing heavily—and permanently, until the ice melts—against the riverbank as if it's straining to get out of its landlocked prison. Still, some of the water shifts underneath the ice, like it's trying to escape. I see bubbles of air, and then a flash of fins as some fish goes by. This is why the CreekClan cats were so hungry, they'd explained after Branchstar agreed to let them eat prey from our territory. The ice was so thick and solid that they could hardly crack it, and with most of their main fresh-kill gone, they began to starve.

I don't know how deep the creek, but I am sure that if I go in there, the water will close well over my head. I can't imagine surviving for three minutes in there. My eyes must be as wide as Firemonsters.

"_How_ do you _swim_ in that?"

"Oh, just practice," says Splashfoot breezily. "I would tell you more, but…"

"Yeah," I say, understanding immediately, and we continue without speaking. CreekClan territory is wet and marshy, with little of the many trees that cover LeafClan, and with every step I take, there's a squelching sound that makes me wince. There's some silence when we pad across patches of mud that have turned as hard as stones because of the cold, thankfully.

The tortoiseshell she-cat beside me moves with grace, picking up her paws and putting them down softly, hardly making any sounds at all. Her ribs can be seen just a bit under her multi-colored coat. And once I'm back in my own camp and some more time passes, her ribs will be more prominent. I shove my guilt away. I think of the Gathering, and hope Ripplestar isn't in the practice of killing the messenger.

"Splashfoot?" A white she-cat looks up from where she's grooming her paws as we enter the CreekClan camp. I shrink back behind my escort, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, but out of the corner of my eye, I can see several other cats, a small percentage of them vaguely familiar, look up in interest of the visitor. "Who's this?"

"Her name is Amberpaw, from LeafClan," Splashfoot says. "She's here to take a message to Ripplestar."

"From Branchstar," I add.

"Nice to meet you, Amberpaw. I'm Blizzardfire," says the new she-cat in a welcoming tone.

I dip my head. "The same to you, Blizzardfire." Though, inside I'm thinking, _She may not think it's so nice anymore when she finds out what the message is._

"What's a LeafClan apprentice doing in my camp?" The voice rings out haughtily, the voice of someone who obviously thinks she's all that. It's familiar, too.

"I have a message for you from Branchstar," I mew to Ripplestar, holding my head up high.

"Oh?" The black-striped she-cat sniffs, flicking her tail derisively. "So he's sending apprentices to do his work now, is he? Come into my den, then. But be warned that if you try anything, there will be witnesses right outside."

With one more glance at Splashfoot, I follow the CreekClan leader into her den. It appears comfortable, with a large nest filled with moss and goose feathers. That must be Ripplestar's. A half-eaten trout lies on the floor—of course she would have a fish, she's the leader, so she gets food first after the elders, queens, and kits—and there's a small hollow in the back with water in it. Another nest, smaller and considerably less snug-looking, sits by the wall perhaps two or three tail-lengths away from Ripplestar's nest.

Ripplestar nods at the second nest. "You may sit."

I eye her for a couple moments, waiting to see if she's going to sit down too. When she doesn't move, I shake my head. "No thank you, I'd rather stand."

I get the feeling she's displeased, but it vanishes from my mind when Ripplestar asks, "Well, what's the message?"

I take a deep breath. _Get in, say what you have to say, and get out._ "Branchstar wishes for you to know that your cats can no longer hunt on LeafClan territory. If CreekClan cats are seen on our land again, they will be severely punished." I am pleased that my voice doesn't even tremble one time.

Now is the part where she will acknowledge the information and send me scampering back to my own camp. Instead, she says, "_Pardon_ me?" in a manner that tells me she heard it the first time, but can't believe it.

"CreekClan cats can no longer hunt on LeafClan territory. There will be great punishment if your cats are caught on our ground," I repeat, shoving back a smarmy reply. _This is Ripplestar, another Clan leader,_ I remind myself, _not Cloudpaw._

"No." Ripplestar shakes her head. "Would you mind telling Branchstar that we need the fresh-kill?" She smiles at me, but it's more like a snarl, a grimace—her lips are pulled back and her teeth are just barely seen, glinting and sharp.

"Actually, I don't think there's any room for argument," I say as politely as I can. "We need the fresh-kill too."

"And why is that?"

"First, it's leafbare, and second…" I hesitate, before reassuring myself that I'll need to tell her this so that she can accept Branchstar's decision. "Second, we have an outbreak of whitecough in our Clan."

The white-and-black leader leaps backward, startling me. I barely keep back a laugh. "Are you contaminated?"

"No, I'm fine," I reply dryly. "I wasn't coughing at all, if you noticed. May I go now?"

Ripplestar looks thoughtful, her fur beginning to smooth. "Hmm…" She sweeps her gaze over me, making my pelt prickle in discomfort. "Yes, I suppose you will. Just tell Branchstar"—and again, she does that creepy half-smile, half-snarl—"that we won't forget this."

I nod mutely, and then zoom out of her den and out of the CreekClan camp before Splashfoot or Blizzardfire can ask me what the message was. They'll hear it soon enough. I do think I hear a cat calling after me, shouting that I need an escort back to my territory, but I don't pause long enough for anyone to catch up for me.

Perhaps if I had waited longer, I would have seen Ripplestar's dark, calculating expression as she finally sat down in her nest so that she could plan something in comfort.


End file.
